# LGR eyewear at Opticnet

L.G.R are the initials of Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, who founded the brand in Italy in the mid 2000s. The story starts in 2005, when he travelled with his grandfather Raffaello Bini to Asmara in Eritrea to reclaim confiscated family property, and found in his grandfather's old optical store a collection of sunglasses imported from Italy half a century earlier. He returned to Italy, went back to the original manufacturers and built a line from them. Every pair is handmade in Italy, and the lenses are tempered mineral glass rather than plastic.

LGR is one of those brands with a real story behind it. The letters are the initials of the founder, Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, who started the brand in 2005 after a trip to Asmara in Eritrea, where his grandfather had run an optical and photography shop since the 1930s. He found old Italian frames in that shop, brought them home, and set out to make them again.

Every pair is handmade in Italy in the classic 1950s and 60s style, with quality glass lenses, and the models are named after places like Asmara and Reunion. The frames have become a quiet favourite of costume designers, showing up on screen in Ripley, The Sandman and The White Lotus.

It is old world eyewear with warmth and a story, for people who like their glasses to mean something.

## LGR collections we keep

- **Reunion**: Round, the house flagship, also made in Bold, Explorer and Metal versions.
- **Marrakech**: A square in acetate, one of the brand's most recognisable lines.
- **Zanzibar**: A square, made both as sunglasses and as an optical frame, in three sizes.
- **Malabo**: A square optical frame with a slight key bridge for comfort.
- **Teos**: A round optical frame for men, also made in a Bold version.
- **Alizé**: An optical frame with a soft cat-eye line.
- **Aloe**: Square women's sunglasses in a single size.

## Typical price

The showroom price for the LGR frames we keep sits around 1,800 ILS, and online it is around 1,440 ILS. Frame only, without lenses. The price varies by model and stock rotates.

## Choosing LGR in 2026

LGR speaks to anyone who likes warm classics with a story. 1950s and 60s shapes - round, panto, soft aviator - flatter a modern vintage look. Place-named models such as Asmara add character; quality glass lenses change how vision and weight feel versus plastic.

DNA: Italian handcraft, inspiration from old frames, and human warmth instead of a shouting logo. If you love cinema, travel and design with soul, LGR feels right.

In 2026 cream, havana, olive and classic black lead. Feel the glass lenses in store. We will match shape to face and check prescription or sun options.

## Questions about LGR

### Why are L.G.R lenses glass rather than plastic?

It is a deliberate choice by the brand, which uses only tempered mineral glass. The big advantage is scratch resistance, significantly higher than a plastic lens, which is why sunglasses like these still look clean years later. The house is also identified with a completely flat lens with no curvature, above all on the Reunion. What is worth knowing in advance is that glass is heavier than plastic, so it is worth trying a pair on and seeing how it feels over time.

### Are the model names African cities?

Most of them are, and it comes from the house story. Marrakech and Fez in Morocco, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, Réunion in the island east of Madagascar. But not all: Alizé is the French word for the trade winds, Aloe is a plant genus, and Teos is in fact the name of an ancient Greek city on the coast of present-day Türkiye. So African inspiration is accurate, every name being an African city is not.

### How long does it take to order a model that is not in stock?

Much longer than usual, and it comes from the method. Every pair is made by hand in Italy, including tumbling in drums with beech and birch chips that runs between 48 and 76 hours, and the brand itself talks about a production time of eight to fourteen weeks per frame. If you want a particular model or colour, it is worth starting early.

## Where to buy

Opticnet is an authorized dealer for LGR. Visit the boutique at Hei Be'Iyar 58, Kikar HaMedina, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, call +972-3-546-6180, or message WhatsApp +972-58-546-6182.

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 10:30-18:00, Fri 10:00-13:00.