Leonardo Del Vecchio & family

Vision visionary Leonardo Del Vecchio founded eyewear giant Luxottica in 1961, at the age 25. Over the years, Luxottica acquired Sunglass Hut, Ray-Ban and Oakley and grew to make glasses for virtually every brand, including Bulgari and Chanel. In 2018 Luxottica merged with French lens maker Essilor, creating the world’s largest producer and retailer of sunglasses and prescription glasses. Del Vecchio was sent to an orphanage at age 7 because his widowed mother could not afford to support her 5 children. He began apprenticing at a car and eyewear parts factory at age 14 to put himself through design school before striking out on his own a decade later.