GARRETT LEIGHT - Mr. LEIGHT
Garrett Leight FOUNDER CEO
Garrett Leight was born in Los Angeles in 1984, immersed in the eyewear and fashion industries as the son of the Founder and Creative Director of Oliver Peoples. Garrett grew up playing competitive tennis and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, graduating with a degree in Journalism. After college he worked at Oliver Peoples, observing firsthand the development of his father’s iconic designs and brand building techniques.In 2009, he opened his first eyewear concept store, A. Kinney Court, in Venice Beach, offering a curated assortment of hand-selected goods from his hometown.
The store was the first of its kind, combining the knowledge and service of licensed opticians with the styling of a fashion boutique. Inspired by the unique atmosphere and creative characters of Venice and driven to find the perfect frames for his customers, Garrett founded Garrett Leight California Optical and released his first eyewear collection in 2010. Dedicated to creating the highest quality designs handmade with the finest materials and craftsmanship, GLCO brings a fresh perspective to classically tailored frames by blending old and new, the iconic and the innovative.
MATERIALS
GLCO uses the highest quality materials from the best suppliers in the industry, with hundreds of years of experience. The eyewear is designed at our studio in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles.
For our frames we source cured acetate and high quality metals from leading suppliers in Japan, Italy, and China. Our acetates range from dead stock to colorways exclusively designed and produced for GLCO.
Our lenses are made of mineral glass and scratch resistant CR-39 plastic sourced from around the world, with anti-reflective coating and other treatments such as layered mirrors for the best eye protection, clarity, and visual acuity.
SUSTAINABILITY
To bring our designs to life, we have partnered with an incredible family-owned factory in China, which allows us to manufacture our eyewear ethically and at a fair price without sacrificing quality.
Below are a few key points about our factory in China, reflective of their efforts towards sustainable and ethical manufacturing:
• Solar panels provide an alternate energy source
• Production wastewater treatment with zero-emission
• Production Line Efficiency: automatic cutting machines are used to cut the acetate which produces a low scrap rate. The frames are then handed polished, buffed, and assembled by craftsmen and engineers in the factory.
• The acetate nose pad process is chemical-free, using only friction to adhere the nose pad onto the frame front (many other factories use an intense adhesive that factory employees have to breathe in while they apply nose pads).
• In addition to providing shelter and schooling for the children of the factory employees, their owned and operated farm, located next to the factory, provides organic vegetables for the community. Enzymes are for vegetable washing to avoid harsh chemicals.
• Every year a donation is made to the Local Disabled People’s Federation(Dongguan Disabled Persons Federation). A program to hire disabled people is also active and to date, they have hired 37 disabled people.
IDENTITY
Garrett Leight California Optical is born out of and continually inspired by the natural beauty of California and the dynamic people and cultures of Los Angeles. We are proud to work with a diverse crew of local and international artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers and influencers to create original content and share our unique voice in print, in film and online.
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