NEW YORK—George Adin, a long-time eyewear industry importer, creator and passionate advocate of fashion eyewear, died earlier this month. He was 75.

Adin started his career as a salesman in the industry where he met his eventual business partner, Jack BeDusa. The two founded Conn.-based Revue Optical over 40 years ago, building relationships with frame factories and producers, to be one of the early importers of fashion eyewear selling directly to retailers in the U.S.

BeDusa recalled that he and George developed contacts in Europe early on. “George spoke six or seven languages and I spoke Italian, which he eventually learned, too. He was very creative and meticulous about the products we chose to sell. One of the first collections was an aluminum line, worn by major celebrities, which was a huge hit and it’s evolved and continues today. We also brought in some of the first light plastics the industry saw here and over the years, we always had something new.

“George really loved to travel,” he continued, “he knew people all over the world. That was not as interesting to me, so I focused on the inside and operations, but we had a solid partnership for 40 years; it worked.”

Adin is survived by a daughter, Chiara Adin, who told VMail that details are being planned for an event soon to be held for friends and the industry to honor Adin. “We had a small family event but are trying to pull together a memorial soon, a celebration to honor his life,” she said.