597. Why Do Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?

A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby Parker steal market share? And how did Ray-Bans become a luxury brand? (Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Neil Blumenthal , co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Dave Gilboa , co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Jessica Glasscock , fashion historian and lecturer at the Parsons School of Design. Neil Handley , curator of the British Optical Association Museum at the College of Optometrists. Ryan McDevitt , professor of economics at Duke University. Cédric Rossi , equity research analyst at Bryan Garnier. Tim Wu , professor of law, science and technology at Columbia Law School. RESOURCES: " Leonardo Del Vecchio Dies at 87; Transformed Eyeglass Industry ," by Jonathan Kandell ( The New York Times, 2022). Making a Spectacle: A Fashionable History of Glasses , by Jessica Glasscock (2021). " Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal: ‍A Vision for Business ," by Lucy Handley ( CNBC, 2020). " The Roots of Big Tech Run Disturbingly Deep ," by Tim Wu and Stuart A. Thompson ( The New York Times, 20…