The Bite Magazine - Spring 2019 - Issue 24

bite glasses L.G.R L uca G necchi R uscone A trip to Eritrea in Africa in 2005 revealed a huge discovery for Luca Gnecchi Ruscone. Whilst wan- dering through his grandfather, Raffaello Bini’s old warehouse of Italian imports, he found a box of sunglasses that had been imported from Italy 50 years earlier. “These beautiful designs immediately evoked the romanticism of an era long gone by. The merging of two worlds: the adventure of Africa and the glamour of the Riviera.” Luca decided to contact the original manufactur- ers and create a line capturing this timeless elegance. The story of Raffaello Bini when he was younger is unique and formed the foundation of Luca’s brand which consists of his initials. Whilst he spent his later years in his native Italy, Bini had once lived in Africa. In 1936, he was sent to Asmara, an Italian colony in Eritrea by the Istituto Luce (The Educational Film Union) to photograph the war effort. When the war had ended and his assignment was nearly finished, Bini found he couldn’t leave the capital city he had come to love so much so decided to stay and start an entrepreneurial business.