leonardo del vecchio was born in 1935 in milan, italy, to an impoverished family from barletta, southern italy. he began his career as an apprentice to a tool and die maker in milan, but decided to turn his metalworking skills to make spectacle parts. so in 1961 he moved to agordo in the province of belluno, which is home to most of the italian eyewear industry. the new company was luxottica s.a.s., a limited partnership. in 1967, he started selling complete spectacle frames under the luxottica brand, and in 1971 he entered the contract manufacturing business.