The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite glasses L.G.R RAW#2 U pon learning his grandfather lived in Africa for 30 years and had his own optical shop, Luca Gnecchi Ruscone decided to reignite the legacy. He made the discovery when he accompanied his grandfather on a trip to Eritrea, once an Italian colony, in 2005. “Some years ago I was in Eritrea, Africa, wandering through my grandfather’s old ware- house of Italian imports, when I discovered a model of sunglasses from a time long forgotten. These beautiful designs immediately evoked the romanticism of an era long gone by…” His grandfather, Raffello Bini had been sent to Asmara, Eritrea by Instituto Luce in 1936 to photograph the war effort. When it was over, he didn’t want to leave the coun- try he had grown to love so he decided to stay. There he imported the finest photography equipment from Europe and sold it to the local Italian expatriate population. The box of sunglasses Luca found had been imported from Italy 50 years earlier. Fascinated by the elegant design of the frames, he brought the pieces back to Italy. When the civil war in Eritrea erupted in 1972 and the Italian colony was at grave risk, Raffello fought to stay in the country but his factory, store, and possessions were sequestered by the incoming government. Together with his family, he returned to Italy in 1974 where he remained for the rest of his life. In 2005, he was allowed to return to Asmara by a special grant of the Eritrean government to collect his family’s belongings. Taking his grandson with him was the start of the L.G.R story. Entirely handmade in Italy by three artisan families, each L.G.R frame is built from start to finish using traditional methods of production to deliver an authentic and noble product. The brand was created with the concept of an everlasting object intended to accompany the traveller on endless journeys filled with adventure. Using the best- sourced materials, cellulose acetate is used for its inherent durability and flexibility and metal is used for its strength and design possibilities. L.G.R uses the highest level of optical clarity and the most effective protection in their eyewear collections. With cutting edge technology at the forefront of lens selection, only the best quality tempered mineral glass is used while three lens categories are offered to cover the many types of weather, situations, and moments one can experience. Limited Edition images courtesy of lgrworld