Los Angeles, California · Since 1979

l.a. Eyeworks

Original LA expression. Hand-drawn, limited-edition, completely independent.

The House

l.a. Eyeworks — the story.

l.a. Eyeworks opened its first storefront on Melrose Avenue in September 1979, founded by Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi with a single agenda: refuse what eyewear was supposed to look like. Four decades later the house is still independent, still founder-led, still doing exactly that.

Every frame begins as a hand-drawn sketch in the founders' studio before moving into a hybrid production process — modern manufacturing tolerances, hand finishing on the materials that matter. Most designs are limited runs, which is part of the point: you don't see your frame on every other face.

The brand's campaign work — Debbie Harry, RuPaul, Lily Tomlin, decades of cultural figures captured in their pieces — is some of the most recognizable in eyewear photography. But it's the frames themselves that have kept clients loyal across forty-five years.

Signature Piece

What we'd put on your face first.

Sharp, sculptural acetates in colorways nobody else dares to use. Every frame is a limited run.

Why we carry it

The shop's take.

Because there are clients on this island who want a frame with a sense of humor — and l.a. Eyeworks is the only brand that does this with this much craft.

Try them in person

Come walk the floor.

Every l.a. Eyeworks frame in our collection is here to be tried on. Walk in during open hours, or book a personal-shopping appointment for the full experience.

Other Houses

More from the collection.

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