Lesca Lunetier Eyewear, Paris
Celebrating 50 years of creating high-quality frames with reissued styles and a new flagship store
Celebrating 50 years of creating high quality eyewear frames, France’s Lesca Lunetier recently opened a new flagship shop and showroom in Paris’ Le Marais area. To add depth to the retail experience, the family-owned eyewear brand shares the space with their friends, MeilleurAmi, a like-minded brand offering scarves and leather bags. While working on different areas of accessory design, the two find common ground in a passion for making superior quality goods in France, upholding time-honored techniques native to their respective craft.
Lesca, founded by Joël Lesca in the ’60s, has been revitalized by his sons Mathieu and Bertrand; making the public aware of their unique, quality frames that have (thus far) been a bit of a secret. The timeless, unisex designs make a statement—Joël Lesca has said that he thinks of sunglasses as something that can transform your appearance, like a mask.
Lesca offers eyewear that captures a ’50s and ’60s vibe—whether they are reissues of frames Joël Lesca designed himself during that era, or genuine vintage frames. The “French Vintage Original” collection is based on pieces (literal pieces, as they’re parts that haven’t yet been assembled into frames) sourced from factories in Jura between the ’50s and ’70s which have since then closed. Back then, the handmade acetate plates from which these frames were cut were of the highest quality and had original colors that are rarely found today. The pieces are painstakingly assembled into a complete frame by faithfully following techniques from the past. Due to this process, each model is available in limited quantities—as few as 25.
Lesca also has a collaboration with Gaëlle Constantini, a nature-obsessed fashion designer who creates all of her pieces from recycled materials and existing clothes found in thrift and vintage stores. These specs are adorned with unusual bits and bobs, and even the occasional giant flower. For those who are looking for a truly one-of-a-kind pair of frames, Lesca offers not only extremely rare, antique pince-nez from the family’s personal collection, but also a model that can be covered with shark, crocodile or lizard skin—as well as a bespoke service.
Lesca Lunetier eyewear is available at their new store, as well as through select stockists such as L’Exception.
Images courtesy of Lesca Lunetier
