Leonardo Del Vecchio is the patron, legend and haunting spirit of the global eyewear business. In 1961, Del Vecchio opened a workshop in the town of Agordo, in the Dolomite mountains. Del Vecchio asked for 3,000 sq metres on the riverbank to build a factory to make parts for spectacles. In some of the least-served markets in the world, Essilor is more or less the only game in town. • Follow the Long Read on Twitter at @gdnlongread, or sign up to the long read weekly email here.

Source: The Guardian May 10, 2018 06:11 UTC