About Us –Alex Barusco & Carmen Spinella

Created with love and fueled by passion, Spinbar Design Lab was formed by two Optical industry veterans and husband and wife team, Alex Barusco and Carmen Spinella Barusco.

Born in Venice, Italy, Alex Barusco was always fascinated by design, fashion, and architecture.  Over 20 years ago, after making a big impact with the creation of the famous carnival caps in Venice, he ventured into eyewear, designing his own line of optical and sunglasses and opening his own shop showcasing his unique, fashion-forward creations.  It wasn’t long before he was hired as a freelance designer for big International eyewear brands, traveling the globe and making an impact with eyewear designs that are still used as inspiration today.  Alex then came back to his roots in Italy and put his creative visions back into his own brand, Alex Barusco and remained focused on that until his big move to the US in 2012.  

Carmen Spinella, originally from Vancouver, Canada got her start in the Optical industry in 1995 and a year later became the co-creator of the Spectacle Eyeworks Inc., the Canadian design house that is still a player in 

the niche eyewear market today. In 2005, after moving to the US, Carmen put her marketing communications degree to work and continued with the company as a PR liaison/communications director and organizing and 

attending eyewear exhibitions around the world.  As fate would have it, not long after Alex moved to the US, he and Carmen connected as familiar industry colleagues but it didn’t take long before their spark ignited and developed into a deep love.  Their great love and desire to create something together brought them back into the Optical industry as a team, this time as a point of reference for the US niche market frames.  

Marrying each other and then their experience, strengths, and creativity they bring to their lovechild, Spinbar Design Lab, Alex and Carmen are determined to be a breath of fresh air in the ever-growing US eyewear industry.