Gai Gherardi. Photo courtesy of Sula Bermudez-Silverman
LOS ANGELES—l.a.Eyeworks has announced the release of a limited-edition “Yello” colorway of its Button frame, with proceeds benefitting the Gai Gherardi Fellowship. Established by the New York-based non-profit foundation Art Matters in June 2025, the Gai Gherardi Fellowship is named after l.a.Eyeworks’ late co-founder and designer and supports the work of groundbreaking artists, l.a.Eyeworks explained. Gherardi passed away in March 2025 following a brief illness. Art Matters established the Gai Gherardi Fellowship to honor Gherardi’s more than three decades of service to the foundation’s board—she was serving as board president at the time of her passing—and her devotion to supporting artists.
“Gai’s generosity to Art Matters was simply incredible,” said Abbey Williams, director of Art Matters, “and this initiative by l.a.Eyeworks is vital to carrying forward her visionary legacy through this fellowship.”
According to Art Matters, the Gai Gherardi Fellowship will award $10,000 to an artist working with a unique vision, as designated by a panel of artists. All contributions to Art Matters made in Gherardi’s name will go toward a fund specifically for the fellowship in perpetuity. The 2025 recipient of the fellowship was Dinah Young of Newbern, Ala.
In addition to her work at l.a.Eyeworks, Gherardi was a member of the edCDFA, the group of eyewear designers that have been part of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) initiatives and programs. In 2021, the Optical Women’s Association honored Gherardi with its OWA Pleiades award in recognition of her work in advancing the leadership role of women in the optical industry.
“We are so touched by Art Matters’ creation of the Gai Gherardi Fellowship,” said l.a.Eyeworks director of communications Brent Zerger. “It perfectly reflects the importance of l.a.Eyeworks’ ever-evolving history of exhibitions, commissions and collaborations with artists since its founding by Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds in 1979.”
l.a.Eyeworks’ limited-edition Button frame is crafted from pure titanium in Japan and features custom temple tips in yellow acetate. Limited to 100 individually numbered frames, Button will be accompanied by a protective hard case and lens cleaning cloth designed by the artist duo Huntley Muir. Both the frame and its signature colorway were developed by Gherardi prior to her passing in 2025, the company advised.
This edition of the Button frame will be made available via l.a.Eyeworks’ wholesale network of independent opticians and boutiques worldwide, as well as its namesake retail location in Los Angeles, until it is sold out.
