Gai Gherardi, L.A. Eyeworks Cofounder, Has Died at 78

Gai Gherardi, cofounder and designing creative director of L.A. Eyeworks, died Sunday following a brief illness due to cholangiocarcinoma. She was 78.

Gherardi was a pivotal figure in the eyewear industry. She was 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.

Born in Glendale, Calif., and raised in Huntington Beach, Gherardi and business partner Barbara McReynolds were high school friends who bonded over eyewear before becoming licensed opticians and opening optical boutique L.A. Eyeworks in Los Angeles on Melrose Avenue in 1979.

With Gherardi’s vision, the company gained recognition for its bold designs, with unique shapes, vibrant colors, and unconventional materials — transforming the role of glasses from a purely functional item to a fashion statement. Along the way the company became a go-to brand for eyewear-loving celebrities like Elton John, Lady Gaga, Johnny Depp and Iris Apfel. Notable names have appeared in the brand’s ad campaigns through the years, including Grace Jones, John Waters, George Clinton, David Hockney, Rufus Wainright, Zandra Rhodes, Sir Ian McKellen, Jodie Foster, RuPaul and, most recently, Justin Vivian Bond.

“The wonderful thing about Gai is that she was a person who knew who she was,” said Bond. “That’s such a wonderful thing to see in others. It’s inspiring. Conversely, if you are a self-determined person like she was, it’s often assumed that you don’t need help with anything. Gai was one of the most unselfish, giving people I’ve ever know. She brought joy into the lives of so many with her style and with her exuberant life force. Even though she’s gone, I know that that energy will stay with those of us who were blessed enough to know her for the rest of our lives, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep her memory alive by sharing it.”

The campaigns have featured a diverse range of models, people of all ages and backgrounds, focusing on the artistic aspect of eyewear. “A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame,” reads a long-running slogan, a hallmark of the brand. The first ad, released in 1982, featured the late Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman, and was photographed by Greg Gorman.

“Gai’s legacy is universal for her sense of creativity in design, in the arts and helping others. She was always ahead of the curve,” said Gorman, adding, “Whenever she walked into a room with her colorful outfits and big smile, she made everyone feel good. I knew her 43 years and she was always like that. We had an amazingly close friendship. She was so instrumental in my life, personally and professionally….Gai had a larger-than-life persona but, and this is important, she never invoked it on anyone. She was one of the most humble and respectful and loveliest people I ever met with.”

With Gherardi, L.A. Eyeworks has left a mark on Hollywood and music, appearing in films like “Thelma and Louise,” “The Matrix” and “Blade Runner.” The brand has also established a presence in the art world, with its frames exhibited at the London Design Museum, the London Craft Council, the Los Angeles Craft Museum, the London College of Fashion and the Chicago Athenaeum, among others.

“The genius of what Gherardi and McReynolds created with L.A. Eyeworks is its infinite flexibility and knack for zeroing in on timeless concepts,” said Robert Rich, chief executive officer of L.A. Eyeworks, in a statement. The company — with McReynolds now serving as adviser, since her departure in 2011 — will next open a retail flagship in Hollywood on Fairfax Avenue this spring. “It’s a legacy we will proudly carry forward into the future.”