What began as a small tool shop in the small Alpine town of Agordo in Italy, grew to become a power player of fashion eyewear manufacture, retail and distribution with a near-monopoly hold on the market in the United States. Luxottica (LUX) began by crafting spectacle frames from mountain goat horns in 1961. In a few decades, they were exporting to countries like the United States, China, Brazil, and India.

With licenses to design and manufacture for fashion labels such as Burberry, Dolce & Gabana, Versace, Bulgari, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren and Prada, it is fair to assume that if you own a pair of designer glasses or sunglasses, they are probably by Luxottica. Half a billion people in the world wear eyewear made and sold by Luxottica, CEO Andrea Guerra admitted to CBS News