The death of the founder of the largest manufacturer of eyeglasses in the world

Italian billionaire Leonardo Del Vecchio, president and founder of Essilor Luxotica, the world’s largest eyewear producer, died Monday.
And the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, said that Del Vecchio died at the age of 87, in San Raffaele in Milan, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital for several weeks after suffering from pneumonia.
Leonardo del Vecchio was not the entrepreneurial leader in Italy by heredity, quite the contrary. Although Italy is a country where family capitalism is still deeply rooted, Del Vecchio was a self-made one who made his own glory.

The founder of Luxottica was born in Milan on May 22, 1935 to a family from the Puglia region in southeastern Italy, then his father died while he was still young, so his mother joined him at the Martinet boarding school, where he remained until he graduated from the preparatory school stage.
At the age of 15, Del Vecchio went to work as an apprentice in the Johnson Company that produces medals and cups, and the owners of the factory urged him to enroll in evening courses at the Brera Academy to study design and engraving.
Del Vecchio discovered his passion for commerce and opened a small shop in the province of Belluno. In just three years, the store became a “Luxottica” company that specialized in assembling eyeglasses.
The company started with 14 employees and quickly gained a stellar reputation. In 1967, Del Vecchio decided to take the lead and started opening his own eyewear production line under the “Luxotica” brand and the company grew until it conquered the American market.
Since 1995, Luxottica has become the largest manufacturer and distributor in the global optics market, incorporating popular brands such as Ray-Ban.