Alchemy hour
Why Larry Leight is at the top of his game
By Joanne F. Schell

Larry Leight in front of his Los Angeles store

For a surfer, the magic time of enjoying the best a wave has to offer is called the alchemy hour. With Oliver Peoples posting record sales and launching its new Mosley Tribe brand, Larry Leight is enjoying his own enchanted ride.

A surfer at heart, Leight got into the optical trade to, in his own words, "have something to fall back on." His backup plan has turned him into one of today's most sought-after eyewear designers for style makers and the fashionable elite.

GRASS-SKIRT ROOTS

Growing up in Los Angeles, Leight spent most of his time on the beach. He had plans after graduating high school to head to Hawaii, but he first wanted to lay the groundwork for a sensible career with a two-year trade degree from Los Angeles City College. As a certified optician, Leight moved to Hawaii for a three-year adventure. Upon returning to L.A., it was straight to the lab.

"I was working on tons of glasses, and then I started selling frames as well," says Leight. "That's what gave me such a base."

Later, he worked as a buyer for a high-end optical chain. "My background as an optician gave me an understanding of what goes into producing prescription lenses. I traveled to the optical shows in Europe and Asia and I was able to work with top eyewear companies and designers."

	The Mosley Tribe brand has two categories. The Neo Classics, inspired by the Aero and Victory OP frames, (style Legacy shown ltop) and Mod Equip, a sportier frame set (style Nomad on bottom.) The collections will be wholesale priced between $57 and $100. The brand will have an initial launch of 17 styles

LEIGHT'S LEAP

In 1986, Leight discovered a gold mine. He purchased thousands of handmade antique frames being sold at an estate sale in New York. He opened his first boutique in Los Angeles and named it after the man who originally owned the glasses--Oliver Peoples.

"I saw a niche in the market that wasn't being filled," Leight explains. "People weren't conscious of what qualities consumers were actually looking for in eyewear."

Instead of continuing to make suggestions to other designers, he took matters into his own hands and made the leap to designing. The step allowed him to combine technical experience as an optician with the design requests from his interactions fitting the fashion elite.

"It starts with quality, fit, function, and technology of frames and lenses," says Leight. "I approach my eyewear designs in a cosmetic way, based on my years behind the counter. It gives me an additional edge."

Oliver Peoples frames always put a new twist on a classic trend. For example, Leight's most popular aviator style, the Aero, has a double bridge; his Jackie O-inspired frames are updated with fresh colors and a universally wearable shape.

MOSLEY MAN

It was the great popularity of the Aero, in fact, that led Leight to recognize another opportunity to bring something new to the eyewear market.

"We realized there was a gap in the sunglass design categories, highlighted by the popularity of the Aero and Victory frames," the designer says. "They have a certain appeal--a kind of timeless modern retro feel. We have been selling these two frames stronger and stronger each year to some of the most stylish people in the entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle world. So, it was from there that I was inspired to try a new category of sunglass design."

TIMELESS TRENDS

Again targeting stylish individuals, Leight is now focusing on those who may have a more active and urban lifestyle with the new brand--Mosley Tribes.

With his skill as an optician shining through, he developed the new VFX lenses that mix together polarization, photochromics, and anti-reflection to suit the needs of different lifestyles.

The collection is a modern interpretation of timeless classics--self-inspired by Leight's own lifestyle. This time, the former surfer is harvesting his wave-riding experience to introduce a new brand based on a fusion of utility, lifestyle, and fashion.

"The surfer lifestyle--being free-spirited, open-minded, serene--really gave me a good imagination," says Leight. "I observed the surfers--what makes them laugh...how they live--and that was definitely part of my inspiration for Mosley Tribes."