Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of one of Hong Kong’s busiest areas, an afternoon meeting at a bar in the Philip Starck masterminded JIA Hotel serves as an unlikely setting for a presentation of Dita’s upcoming collection . Upon entering, I’m met with two friendly figures, Dita’s China region rep Martin, and an integral member of Dita itself, Tommy O’Gara. Given the chance to speak with Tommy, any unfamiliarity I had with the brand quickly turned to a great respect for one of luxury eyewears’ most well-received brands.

Sporting a stylish hat and a pair of well kept Visvim Folk Virgil Boots on his feet to match his Visvim x Dita frames, my initial interactions with Tommy were definitely not how I had previously envisioned the meeting to go. Despite the high-end nature of Dita’s offerings, Tommy quickly came across as an extremely easy-going and well-articulated speaker who speaks with a great passion for eyewear design. Prior to forming a union with Dita, Tommy O’Gara and his background in product design and color theory led him to Japan as an architect which eventually developed in him becoming a member of the Dita team which includes co-founders John Juniper and Jeff Solorio. When asked if there were any differences between architectural design and eyewear design, Tommy casually notes that if you have a true penchant and love for design, crossing the mediums is a seamless feat.

Despite being based in Japan, a common vision in design philosophy amongst Tommy and the rest of the Los Angeles-based design office provides a nice integration of ideas between the East and (the) West. Dita’s philosophies are rather simple yet executed with flawless accuracy. Having been blessed with a great following based on their ability to create designs that appeal exclusively to them with little regard to trends, Dita’s following in both Japan and amongst the celebrity crowd has been staggering. With some Dita fanatics with collections numbering in the triple digits, it’s a certain “retro modern edge” with a strong appreciation for Japanese craftsmanship which has propelled Dita to the top. As Tommy concedes “we’re not on the cutting edge, but we are who we are,” contemporary designs of traditional shapes ensure that many of Dita’s eyewear offerings are easy to wear. From a design ethos, the way each part of the frame runs cohesively is a testament to the fact that within the process of design, “everything is tweaked, morphed and runs together” as a well-constructed final product. However, through the use of collaborations, Dita’s aesthetic is often shared with like-minded individuals and brands as non-traditional eyewear brands can branch out to create quality frames.