In the competitive world of eyewear, Dita has associated itself with elegance, refinement and above all, high-quality frames and optics. Catching the attention of Thom Browne with an upcoming collaborative launch set for Fall/Winter 2011, the brand has forged a strong following on a global level. With roots in Japan and the United States, an integral part of it all is President and Director of Dita Asia, Tommy Ogara. An American transplant living in Japan for several decades, Ogara has overseen the production of the brand’s critically acclaimed eyewear program as well as helping launch an all new factory.

The strength and power of Dita on a regional level saw the creation of the Legends Craftsman Line, a capsule suited towards the unique facial characteristics of Asians versus their Western counterparts. We discussed with Ogara about both the launch of the new line as well as his role in the company from abroad in Japan.

Could you introduce yourself and your role within Dita?
My name is Tommy Ogara and I am the President / Director of Dita Asia. While running all of Asia for sales and marketing, I work as part of the whole design and production team of Dita and deal with a large part of manufacturing as well.

How did you originally get involved with Dita?
I originally met Jeff (Solorio) and John (Juniper) when I was working as a contract creative director for the company that was their distributor at the time. Things were going terribly sideways, so I stepped in to help and have been here ever since.

To what strengths does Dita have with you based permanently in Japan?
I’ve lived in Japan for quite a long time and learned to speak Japanese. Additionally, I have direction in design and manufacturing that helps a lot when dealing with factories for materials and components to finished products. The Japanese way of working is now in my blood. We jam and get things done, there is no running to the sports club or bar at 6 p.m.

How does the interaction between you yourself in Japan and founders Jeff and John in the U.S. play out in terms of design?
Design and production are definitely on point being here in Japan, we can get people to try different things… troubleshoot and make advancements whereas if we were in Italy or somewhere else this may not be a given. Mr. Kobayashi, our R&D factory head is the leader when it comes to these things. He has a phenomenal mind when it comes to setting things up and making jigs, et cetera. Recently he made great leaps in tumbling and polishing that can streamline and speed up manufacturing.
Jeff, John and Mike Castillo are all working in LA and I am here in Japan but we all exchange ideas and work a lot on Skype to finalize and detail designs. I send a lot of materials, prototypes and samples to Los Angeles. But in a word, we all work together hand in hand to make each design the best it can be. Some designs may only be for U.S. and EU and some only for Asia, but at the end of the day four heads are better than one and we all work really well together.

What spawned the idea of the Legends Craftsman Line? Anatomically, how do Asian faces fit differently relative to other ethnicities?
The Legends line came about from a dream I had one night about being in a bar. Long story short, there were three guys in the bar, one was a poet, one was a preacher and the other was a prophet. The poet told me he built buildings, the preacher told me he wrote songs, and the prophet told me that he painted large paintings for the world. Anyway, I wrote all of this and more down and started forming ideas for the designs around the story and what I wrote.
This had always been in the back of my mind, an idea to do an updated series of CRAFTSMAN frames. Having built our factory with Mr. Kobayashi – who is now part of our team – the theme and the product was conceived right in front of my eyes. Kobayashi-san is the key to dialing in the designs and fits.
Asian faces can be larger and softer with 3 different degrees of nose bridge from zero to moderate. Brow lines are higher but ocular openings (area between the brow and the cheek bone) can be narrower and not as deep. So with this in mind, the shapes were scaled, drawn and carved to fit as well as possible.

The star nut is something you specifically reintroduced via this collection, what does it serve and how does it differentiate Dita from other manufacturers?
The star nut(s) were originally used years ago before eyewear became designer items. At that time they thought the nuts to be “not pleasing” or extraneous to the design of a frame connection and hinge. That was when they shortened the screws and dropped the nuts. We find that the star nut controls the tension in the hinge better and looks good at the same time.
Dita started making trad-inspired but retro-modern edge frame designs about seven years ago and a lot of companies followed. When we started, there was very little in this genre – most designs and the trend were futuristic with flowing lines, floating lenses and curved return spring hinges. Now this is fading some and there are many trad-based designs from many companies. I think bringing back the nut is great and others will follow and most likely there are some good Japanese craftsmen still doing this. But Dita is Dita and we do not look much at what other brands are doing but rather try to focus on our own wave, and this often puts us a year or 2 ahead in design. Some of our styles take a year or so to really take off.

You opened a new factory within the last year, how has this changed or affected your work flow for the better? Did a factory facilitate your ability to develop your Legends Craftsman Line?
Our little factory in Sabae is the best thing we ever came up with. This facility speeds up prototyping, sampling and manufacturing in every way. When we have new styles and new materials, we can cut out fronts and see results in days instead of weeks. The first LEGENDS series from dream to samples took only two weeks. Definitely having Mr. Kobayashi there tightens up the flow and speeds up the process.

Where does Dita plan to go from here? Will children’s eyewear factor in?
Our little “Koba” made the last Thom Browne runway show frames and also, yes our Jr. line frames are developing. We now have smaller versions for smaller faces and kids, some of the frames are the Royce, Rambler, Joya and soon to arrive New Yorker.
So every day, week, month is a new step for us. We’re constantly experimenting with plastics, titaniums, patinas and connections making the “trip” road to creating new styles fun and excitement. We all are always like boys at Christmas when new styles arrive. To see an idea go from paper to being a physical and stylish realization is a gift.

View Original interview on Hypebeast.com

Sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released Thom Browne x Dita Eyewear collection.  Inspired by studio artists, architects, industrial designers, & professors. Throughout the collection you’ll see signature details like natural horn,high-grade titanium, leather, & cable temples with red,white & blue enamel detailing. This collection is perfectly suited to the Black Optical client.

The full Thom Browne sunglass & eyeglass will be available at both Black Optical Tulsa & OKC. Please call or email if you would like to be notified of their arrival.

In case you were wondering what you need to complete your summer ensemble. These one of a kind Lanciers by Dita are available at both Black Optical locations.

Since I’m a Quentin Tarantino fan, I’ve been anticipating the release of his latest film Inglorious Basterds.  While browsing blogs about the release of the film I stumbled across the photo above (taken by Billy Farrell). I was excited and surprised to see Marc Jacobs fiance, Lorenzo Martone, wearing Dita’s iconic ‘Super Genius’ eyeglass.

One of the strongest sunglasses of the season, Dita Heron, is truly a work of passion.  Made of Featherlite titanium, featuring titanium nosepads, enamel inlays, pebbled detailing and edged temple tips that make for a great fit & style.  Wondering what the names of each Featherlite series meant? All bird names, hence (feather)lite- thanx Devon P.

Photo//J. Juniper//Dita 09 Catalog

Over the last couple weeks quite a few crystal fade eyeglasses have been out and about.  Above, Band of Outsider’s Scott Sternberg is wearing a great example that resembles the SALT. Adler.

To buy or see more of this trend follow the this link.

Photo via W Magazine

Just in time for pool-side season, a couple new Dita women’s sunglasses arrived at Black Optical. Over the last year or so, we’ve seen Dita refine the fit and detailing of their sunglasses.  With this new collection they have mastered color. Both the Holiday & Solitaire(smaller size of Holiday) come in Turquoise/Lavender Crystal fade, Lavender/Grey Crystal fade, Black Swirl and Tortoise/Coffee-Caramel. The Galore, a feminine wrap, arrived in Lavender Swirl, Black Swirl and Tortoise.

Click the photos above to take a closer look at the various colors.

Silhouette of the Cazal 902 + the detailing of the Dita Midnight Special = the new Dita Challenger. As I’ve mentioned before Dita’s attention to detail is impeccable, enamel inlays & scored titanium. Every part of this sunglass is expertly crafted and destine to become an instant classic. Designed as a man’s sunglass, but evident in the photo above, make a great fit for women. Now available for purchase at Black Optical.

Black Optical is pleased to announce the arrival of Dita’s Gold Series. The 24K Gold sunglasses are available in four legendary styles: Ambassador, Midnight Special, Dynasty and Voulez Vous. Due to the exclusivity of this collection, the sunglasses will not be available in the webstore.  To purchase a pair, please call or visit Black Optical’s retail location.  

Last Friday the Tulsa World spent the morning at Black Optical.  During that time Jason Ashley Wright, writer for the Style section, interviewed a few of our clients, asking what trends they look for when shopping for sunglasses.  Below you’ll find excerpts from the article.  The full article is located here: Shades of Meaning Photos were taken by James Gibbard/Tulsa World.

Kasia Dupler , real estate agent, in white gold and brown enameled “Heron” by Dita ($375). As it’s “unbelievably hot and humid here,” Dupler prefers lighter frames, considering she’s out and about between homes. But style is very important. “We want to look good all the time,” she said.

Sarah Brewster , registered nurse, in gold with ivory enamel “Starlet” by Barton Perreira ($515). Brewster always looks for something different than what everyone else has. It’s her way of expressing herself. Her preferences include “vintage-y,” bold and bright shades. She’s also split the cost of expensive sunglasses (like the awesome Roberto Cavalli sunglasses she pulled from her purse and showed us) with a friend of hers — kind of like a time share.

Rania Nasreddine , lawyer, in the gold and black (color: “Heroine Chic”) enameled “Harlequin” by Barton Perreira ($515) She has about six pairs, with a preference toward bigger, plastic frames. Her favorite pair were some green Chanel from Dubai. Unfortunately, she lost them. ”But I found my dog the same day,” she said, “so it was well worth the exchange.” 

Jeremy Greenfield , works for an energy company, in silver and titanium “Vesco” by Barton Perreira with white leather bridge ($445) He looks at sunglass shapes first, his favorite pairs being aviators and a (RayBan) Wayfarer-esque pair by Prada — “kind of like ‘Risky Business. ‘” ”I like to have something you don’t see everywhere else you turn around,” he said.