They say that there are no shortcuts in life, and that is certainly a philosophy that American eyewear brand DITA has taken to heart. They also say that if you want something done properly, you’ve got to do it yourself, and that’s exactly what lifelong friends and sunglasses connoisseurs John Juniper and Jeff Solorio did in 1995.

Unsatisfied with the offerings from other premium eyewear brands and sure they could make a better fist of it, they got together to form their own company. The mission was clear: to create innovative, finely crafted eyewear with a look and feel that wasn’t available anywhere else in the world.

DITA Legends Dita Von Teese.

That was no easy task for a start-up company brand new to the world of glasses, but they set about doing it the only way they knew how - by insisting that maximum care and attention was put into every minute detail of their products.

The starting point was choosing the material for the frames, and Juniper and Solario were determined that they would use only the very highest quality Japanese Zyl Acetate, a plant-derived material that’s sustainable yet super-strong. Each frame is made from a solid block of the unique material, which is carved into the rough shape and then tumbled for a full week by hand in genuine, hand-cut bamboo chips in order to polish it up perfectly.

Once the frames are perfected, work on the rims can begin. A world away from the mass-produced parts used by many other high-end luxury brands, each DITA rim is hand-rolled and shaped before being soldered to the bridge, hand-filed to eliminate any trace of roughness of sharpness, and hand-polished to achieve a flawless shine.

Then come the hinges, which are custom-made in DITA’s Los Angeles design studio. Such is the precision that goes into making these glasses, a unique set of screws is made to measure for each individual frame, meaning everything fits together perfectly and is structurally bulletproof.

Once the whole package has been put together, a team of experts will scrutinize each individual frame, running their fingers over it to detect even the smallest of imperfections and making sure that everything is spot on. No pair leaves the factory before going through these thorough checks.

The brand prefers to spend its money on the product rather than expensive or flashy ad campaigns, but with a throng of celebrity devotees that reads like the guest list to an exclusive Hollywood A-list party, they don’t need to. Brad Pitt, Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz and Dita Von Teese are just a few of the brand’s famous fans, and their endorsement alone is all the exposure DITA needs to be successful.

Details: For more information, visit dita.com