Although the iconic Lafont eyewear brand honors a legacy of over 90 years, having been established in 1923 by Louis Lafont, there’s reason to celebrate stateside as the family now glows in a 30-year presence in America. To commemorate this anniversary, Lafont has created the Thirty, a limited edition sunglass. An ingenious melding of black, stainless and carved acetate, the frame is embellished with artistic engravings of the Statue of Liberty on one temple and the Eiffel Tower on the other. It’s an instant collectible since just 400 pairs have been created.

And although this particular style might be limited, continued growth and success is nurtured by eyewear boutiques ever ready to deliver the cache of color, craft and cool that is intrinsically Lafont. Director of marketing Matthieu Lafont notes, “Celebrating 30 years in North America is a great honor and privilege for our family and the entire team at Lafont. We recognize that only through the support of our customers and dedicated fans are we able to commemorate this milestone. We cannot predict what the next 30 years will bring, but what we can be certain about is that at Lafont, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to our partners by creating high quality, exceptional eyewear for their patients and consumers.”

–James J. Spina

Just minutes after writing this page, my 20/20 colleague James DeMatteis informed me Philippe Lafont, 70 years young, had just passed away. I mourn this premature loss. I will miss his constant source of warm, sincere friendship and his unique sparkle of inspiration. For me the world of eyewear will not be the same without him but I celebrate his name and his brand with his family, my friends as well. –JJS




Nice to note that when 20/20 celebrated our 40th anniversary, Lafont graced our cover. Allow us to quote our own trend for this cover: So wonderful when a frame can virtually say it all with style, passion, art and grace. Lafont is a perfectly faceted jewel

–JJS