Story Of Talented Founder & CEO Of Garrett Leight California Optical Brand based in Venice, California
Hollywood , California
Garrett Leight was born in Los Angeles in 1984, immersed in the eye-wear and fashion industries as the son of the Founder and Creative Director of Oliver Peoples. Garrett grew up playing competitive tennis and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, graduating with a degree in Journalism. After college he worked at Oliver Peoples, observing firsthand the development of his father’s iconic designs and brand building techniques. In 2009, he opened his first eye-wear concept store, A. Kinney Court, in Venice Beach, offering a curated assortment of hand-selected goods from his hometown. The store was the first of its kind, combining the knowledge and service of licensed opticians with the styling of a fashion boutique. Inspired by the unique atmosphere and creative characters of Venice and driven to find the perfect frames for his customers, Garrett founded Garrett Leight California Optical and released his first eye-wear collection in 2010. Dedicated to creating the highest quality designs handmade with the finest materials and craftsmanship, GLCO brings a fresh perspective to classically tailored frames by blending old and new, the iconic and the innovative.
Garrett Leight has always been about enriching the human experience. Since the inception of Garrett Leight California Optical in 2010, Garrett’s motivation to be a successful entrepreneur has been around the idea that through business you can create a positive influence on people’s lives. Garrett has often preached “personal happiness” as the core value of the Garrett Leight experience—both for his employees and customers. He was inspired by his years working at his father’s company, Oliver Peoples, where he noticed the profound loyalty its employees had to his family’s business before its merger with Luxottica in 2007, as well as the cult following from the influential Hollywood community and customers around the world.
In order to achieve customer loyalty like no other brand, Garrett decided from the beginning to personally build the wholesale and retail businesses with a bootstrap strategy. The first 200 wholesale accounts were opened in 2011 by Garrett himself while he simultaneously managed his Venice retail shop on Abbot Kinney. Multiple trips throughout the US & Europe with personal in-store visits, as well as account management from accounts receivable all the way down to shipping built a customer loyalty unlike any other brand. Additionally, the consumer interaction at the retail level and the emergence of social media created a bond between Garrett and his customers that continues to this day to be transparent and real.
By focusing the brand DNA on his genuine love affair with his home of California and its people, coupled with classically tailored and iconic designs, premium high quality manufacturing, seamless customer service, and consumer experience, Garrett has established a global community of loyal followers who wear the brand almost exclusively. Garrett’s goal is to continue to grow the brand and enrich the company culture and consumer experience through authentic and transparent creation. With strong brand equity, family legacy, celebrity clientele, and multi-channel distribution, Garrett Leight California Optical has the foundations to be the dominant eye-wear brand of the future.
By Lavish Life Publication Editorial Team
