Warehouse Asmara
Luca Gnecchi Ruscone was born in Rome, Italy, in 1982 to an Italian family with strong roots to Eritrea and Africa. His father lives in Kenya and his mother was born in Eritrea, where his grandfather had been living since the 1930’s. Luca’s grandfather was importing handmade sunglasses from Italy when he first moved to Eritrea.
After a visit to Eritrea in 2005, Luca tracked down a model of sunglasses from an almost forgotten era in an old warehouse in Asmara used by his grandfather to store imported sunglasses. He returned to Italy and found the original manufacturers and reopened the same plant, which closed down in 1968. Within a short time Luca established L.G.R Sunglasses successfully as a global premium sunglass brand in the exclusive fashion sector. The interview with Mr. Ruscone was conducted in January 2011.
Q: It is truly a fascinating story. What can you tell us about your grandfather (picture right), your parents and their life in Eritrea ?
A: My grandfather arrived in Eritrea in the 1930’s as a photographer for the Istituto Luce. He remained there until 1973. He began working in photography, opened a few stores (Foto Ottica Bini), one of which still remains open today in Via Lorenzo Tazaz. He soon moved into shoe making and opened a factory in Asmara, Bini Shoes.
Q: What made you do the trip to Eritrea in 2005 and what were your expectations?
A: My grandfather needed someone to accompany him because he is old. I was curious to find traces of stories that my mother always told me. I was expecting to find a desolate place devastated by the war. Instead I found a beautiful country full of smiles and pride.
Q: There can be no better marketing story for a product than yours. How did you stumble over the old warehouse in Asmara and your grandfather’s sunglasses?
A: Our house is just on top of the optical store and my grandfather’s office is downstairs. I was bored of always waiting for meetings to end and I started looking around the store, talking to the people that work there. I first discovered stories from the past of my family told by people that lived with them or worked for them for half a century. Then I started looking at old objects, photocameras, frames and sunglasses.
Q: How would you describe Asmarinos and what is your favourite place in Asmara?
A: I had the chance to encounter people who are proud, welcoming, and very open. I usually like to sit down at Café Vittoria and speak with the locals.
Q: When Eritreans re-build their colonial rail system, they used the same approach as you and re-activated the original rail workers to help them learn about the design, technology and architecture of a past era. How did you track down the original manufacturer of the sunglassses and manage to finance and re-open the original plant as an entrepreneur?
A: I found an old invoice dating back to the 1950’s where there was the address and names of the manufacturers in Italy. I drove to the address once in Italy and found a house with a family living there. The grandparents were the manufacturers and they had produced for my grandfather. They named him and remembered him, I told them my story and they told me what happened and why they had closed. They did not have a production plant, they had a small laboratory with simple equipment. The most valuable tools were their hands, knowhow and experience. I put all the money I had to buy the materials and they did the rest.
Q: We heard you are designing parts of your sunglass collection yourself. Where did you learn the skills?
A: I am not a designer. I can’t even sketch a dog! I am a person sensible to beauty, able to recognize the essential. My skill is to keep things simple and mix them with quality and authenticity. I made a team and together we create, then I have the final word on everything.
Q: What are the names of your sunglass products branded with places in Eritrea?
A: http://www.lgr-sunglasses.com/sunglasses/
Q: What is L.G.R Sunglasses’ target market and who are your typical clients?
A: I am not deliberately aiming at the luxury market, but due to costs and final price to the customer (200-250 euros) L.G.R is considered a luxury item.
Q: Can you tell us more about your company’s business size and growth plans?
A: The more L.G.R grows the happier I will be. I am carefully placing the sunglasses in the most beautiful shops in the world and I hope that more and more people will learn about L.G.R.
Q: We learned that your sunglasses have been featured in Vogue France and are common across fashion show-rooms and up-market boutiques around the world. Can you imagine opening a L.G.R Sunglasses Boutique in Asmara?
A: It would be my dream to transform my grandfather’s old optical store, into an L.G.R flagship store.
Q: Do you personally know any Eritreans ?
A: Yes I do. I went to Eritrea many times and I will return there many more times.
Q: People who visited Eritrea once return to see the country again. Do you have any plans to visit Eritrea or Africa in the near future?
A: My grandfather goes every year and he needs someone to take him. We rotate in the family to go with him. I will return to Eritrea certainly. My father, on the other hand, lives in Kenya and I go often on holiday to visit him.
We look forward to see your business grow and maybe we will be able to buy your sunglasses one day in Asmara.
A: I really hope so and when it will happen I can say “I made it!”
Thank you.
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