Vale Gai Gherardi, Co-founder of l.a.Eyeworks

Ms Gherardi was a fixture on the international tradeshow circuit, always dressed in the most spectacular custom-made suits with matching eyewear, always with a beaming smile, a warm embrace, and an entertaining story to tell. I never missed the opportunity to be inspired by her overwhelming enthusiasm and joy for life.

Ms Gherardi has a long history in eyewear, finding her passion for design back in the 70s when she and her high school friend Barbara McReynolds worked part-time in an eyewear store to earn money to travel. They became business partners when they opened their first single storefront on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California in September1979.

Women’s Wear Daily described Ms Gherardi as “an advocate for women’s rights, championing causes like Planned Parenthood, supporting AIDS relief through Project Angel Food, and environmental efforts, particularly passionate about protecting the endangered California Desert Tortoise. She also served as board president of Art Matters, a New York-based nonprofit that provides grants to artists.”¹

… she told me that producing something new is like working through a “washtub of ideas”

Unlikely Inspiration

Ms Gherardi also loved the Australian tree frog, following her dream to buy and treasure two of them that lived in a terrarium on her desk, becoming so comfortable that they would climb her arms to sit on her head.

At SILMO 2024 in Paris, she told me that one day while watching one of her frogs, and focussing in on its foot, she thought, “Oh, this is what the temple tip needs to look like”.

“So that was it. From that moment we made every design with what we call the frog toe temple tip.”

A talented and original designer, she told me that producing something new is like working through a “washtub of ideas”. She explains her approach in this interview I had with her, filmed at SILMO (below).

In Australia, l.a. Eyeworks has been distributed by ProOptics since 2017. Jacque Katsieris, co-owner of ProOptics with Ray Kessler, said she was devastated by the news of Ms Gherardi’s death.

Describing Ms Gherardi as “the queen of industry”, Ms Katsieris said, “it was an absolute pleasure to meet and work with Gai for 10 years”.

“Everyone who met her left her presence a better person, having spent time with her.

“Her brand is legacy; it will transcend any individual and will continue to grow and challenge the norm through a DNA that has been embedded in over 45 years of design and changing the conversation.”

Reference

1, Chikhoune R. Gai Gherardi, L.A. Eyeworks cofounder, dies at 78. Women’s Wear Daily, 20 March 2025, available at: wwd.com/eye/people/gai-gherardi-dead-la-eyeworks-1237057416/.