Lafont

Parisian-born Laurence Lafont began designing eyewear in the ’70s out of necessity, she says. After marrying into the optical business – her husband, Philippe Lafont, is the grandson of the founder of the Lafont boutiques in Paris – she began noting the lack of interesting eyewear. “I said to my husband it’s a pity there isn’t any eyewear for our generation. There were a few designer collections, but the styling was old-fashioned and really boring. We and our friends bought antique frames at flea markets because they were a lot more interesting than what was available in optical shops,” Lafont says.