DITA Founders Debut First Morgenthal Frederics Collection — SkimNews
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- Morgenthal Frederics debuts its Fall/Winter 2026 collection on Oct. 15, the first under new creative directors John Juniper and Jeff Solorio, the childhood friends who founded DITA in Los Angeles in the mid-1990s and later built a designer eyewear category via their 2011 Thom Browne collaboration.
- Juniper and Solorio are expanding the brand's Japanese acetate and titanium lines with sculptural silhouettes, intricate metalwork, and a new signature — purple temple tips — while keeping the handcrafted buffalo horn designs that defined the house.
- Morgenthal Frederics traces back to 1913 as Frederics Opticians in Manhattan, adopting its current name in 1986 under optician Richard Morgenthal; its buffalo horn eyewear line, introduced in 2006, set it apart from competitors.
- The label's celebrity following — Spike Lee (who commissioned custom orange frames), Mick Jagger, LeBron James, and Norman Reedus — has sustained its reputation alongside its craftsmanship.
- Prices for the Fall/Winter 2026 collection range from $795 to $2,995, available at Morgenthal Frederics boutiques and online, with the launch accompanied by a campaign titled "Heritage in Motion" photographed by London-based Darren Gwynn.
Why it matters: Placing the duo who helped make high-end spectacles a standalone fashion category at the helm of a 113-year-old house gives Morgenthal Frederics renewed design credibility, and the debut's $2,995 ceiling signals a clear premium positioning aimed at the Thom Browne-tier luxury eyewear customer rather than mass-market competitors.
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