Dita was founded by two life long friends, John Juniper and Jeff Solario. In 1996 they introduced their first collection of frames. With a long standing interest in design, inspiration was found in vintage frames from the 1950s up through the 1980s. Their new offerings were distinguished by quality materials and the most subtle use of branding.
Since 1996, Dita has grown from its Los Angeles roots to international acclaim. While the company is still located in California, the frames and lenses are developed and crafted in Japan. As the company has grown, so to have its aspirations, with Dita slowly becoming recognized as a luxury eyewear brand sought out by collectors and A-list celebrities.
Retail concept stores in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Hong Kong (called Dita Legends) have helped establish Dita’s design aesthetic. In some cases, the look and feel of the shop has led to collaborations.
Those collaborations are what peaked our interest. Dita has worked with some of the most renowned Japanese brands out - from Neighborhood to Visvim. The man in charge of these projects, and handling all of Dita’s business in Japan is Tommy Ogara.
A few weeks ago I spoke to Tommy about the nature of the collaborations and his background in design. Despite several bad connections and an impressive time difference, we were able to cover considerable ground. In that, I was able to discover what makes Dita tick and learn a bit about devising eyewear for different markets.
