Revealing Fall 2025 Eyewear with Chief Creative Officer David Duralde

Step inside the world of independent eyewear design with The Optical Foundry Podcast host Greg Hodgson and Chief Creative Officer David Duralde. In this episode, David unveils The Optical Foundry’s Fall 2025 Collections — from OGI’s playful pops of color and Seraphin’s handcrafted details to Red Rose’s modern experimentation and Shimmer’s jewelry-inspired elegance. Hear the stories behind standout frames, discover how bold new acetates and laminations elevate each brand, and explore how technology like Virtual Try-On is reshaping the eyewear experience. Plus, get a preview of what’s coming to Vision Expo West in Las Vegas, how The Optical Foundry champions “Independence for the Independents”, and (if you’re listening closely) a hidden detail that could win you something special.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The Optical Foundry Podcast. You're listening to The Optical Foundry Podcast. This week, you're joined with your host, Greg Hodson, and also with the Chief Creative Officer of The Optical Foundry, David Duraldi. David, you have an exciting new collection here, and there seems to be a particular punctuation of pop with this collection. Tell me a little bit more about that.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Sure. You know, just a little bit of background. Every collection, every season, we're trying to do something different, but we also have to really pay homage to the brand. And what's interesting about the collections in the Optical Foundry this season and fall 2025, is that we, again, are playing within the storylines of those brands. So you can have OG, which is very playful, pops of color, interesting combinations of materials. And that's really a lot of fun. And that expresses itself in frames that are perfect for so many people to really shine their personality out there. So that's OG. And then Seraphine, we are always thinking about how we can bring this idea of craftsmanship and beautiful metal detailing, whether it's custom hinges or custom temple core wires, metal stampings with the fleur-de-lis patterns. So we do a lot of experimentation with the details and a lot of customization, which again gives that value add to serifin as well. Then we have red rose, which is a part of the OG... collection. And Red Rose is our opportunity to explore new trends, new ideas. And you'll see that in this season's collection with square shapes, round shapes, things that are a little bit over scale. Again, that continues to trend, but then we bring it up to date and we're not so literally vintage with that collection. We take those themes and we expand them. And with Shimmer, just taking jewelry to another level, not just having stones alone as pattern and texture, but we're working in metal and creating a fine jewelry effect where the stones are set in the metal and we have the decor or detailing in a more intricate pattern on the temples as well. So that's kind of what you said, Greg, is things are popping this season and that's the idea with the collection is just building on the story and making the season compelling.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Were there any unexpected inspirations this

SPEAKER_01 2:52

I think the unexpected inspiration would just be different new color ways that are trending, you know, working with the sky blues and the pinks and just new ways to introduce those colors so they don't look how people have presented them before. Like sometimes those colors might look either a little juvenile or they could look like toys. And they just don't have that sense of being sophisticated. And so that's really been unexpected how these colors that are usually brights and a little more playful colors is a way to still ground them and make them sophisticated. So I would say that's just the unexpected way that colors have come together, whether it's a pop of a neon color in OG or an orange, but doing it in a way that it still feels grounded and it still feels sophisticated.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Speaking of that, Pop, with OG, tell us about the color stories and the standout shapes.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yeah, I mean, you know, let's just take frame by frame, go through a couple examples. So if you take the parka, and this is a lady's shape, it's very, it's upswept, and it has a little nice cut at the corner before you get to the brow. But what I think is neat about this frame is taking these triple laminations And so, for example, when you have the sand color, this gorgeous sort of rosy brown transparent color grounds it, which, you know, people love transparence because they seem to make it, the frame look lighter on the face. But then we've articulated it with a brow and a temple inlay that is the pop of color, but not just one tone of pink. We've done dual tone colors. So you have stepped layering and coloring as well. We explored the brown with the pink, and then we also have this gorgeous sky blue color on the brow, which is also really, really nice. And the grounding color of the main frame color is a transparent rosy brown. Again, just working with these earth tones, but then giving a pop of color is really nice. The other thing is in the parka, a third color the plum, we had the two transparent colors with the pop of color of the brow. Here we've done a striated sort of horn pattern as the grounding color in the frame with this beautiful flex of black and green and windows of crystal. But then we have the purple on top. So that's a standout for me is the parka is like one of my favorite frames in the OG collection. I also, because people have been asking for to have that same fun factor with some men's shapes and unisex shapes. So Oh Shucks is a good example where you look at that frame and you can see the hand-painted outlines on the exterior and where it meets the lens as well. So you have a sky blue piping around the navy blue, and then you have the orange piping in the interior rim. Really a great way to have these sportier, colorful colors colors, but they're not really in your face because it's more of a piping. And then in that oh shucks, you also have this really great gray color that looks more industrial. And then the piping colors are red and an orange, which for me, again, it evokes this sense of sportiness, like whether it's kicks or sneakers or it could be, you know, a rugby color or a jersey color. That's what I try to do with color. so it feels compatible with other items and accessories that people have in their wardrobe. Those are two standouts for me. And then, of course, there's Twin Cities, which I think this is going to be a great seller. Triple lamination again, so we have a pop of a bright color at the brow and then a middle color under that brow color, and then it's anchored, whether it's a tortoise as the full frame, corresponding with the pops of color. We We've played with reds and greens and pinks, and then there's a nice black and tortoise with an inlay of white as well. Again, so it's just this idea of playing with double and triple combinations of color that make the frames quite versatile when you wear them. We also are seeing some other fun different things to think about in the collection, OG First, is the big thanks much and this is we took the design and style of the thanks much and we upped the sizing which people were asking for and then we offered some new color combinations beautiful navies and grays and tortoises and olives so we think that's going to be a winner for men and also another fun frame appreciate it and what's fun about this is the only sun in the collection this season has polaroid lenses too but we just thought this is kind of the idea of OG it's just we're independent in our way of thinking it's not like we're going to add a whole sun line to the collection but what we did is say wow this frame would look incredible as a sunglass let's plant the seed and create the idea in the optician's minds and that's why we did it and we felt like that's a bonus for somebody who just you know they might be a contact wearer or doesn't really even want a prescription, maybe, they can just go in and have this fabulous frame walk out and just look very, very stylish. The nice flat edges on the cutting of the metal, the milled metal construction, stainless steel, beautiful frame, and gets lots of attention. We did it in a chrome, a gold, and a black. So for OG, those are the highlights. And in Seraphim...

SPEAKER_00 9:16

I actually want to stop you right there because I have an opportunity for the listeners here. And I hope you're paying close attention because David's about to mention his favorite personal frame of the Fall 2025 collection. There's a quiz question for a chance to win a free frame certificate. David.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Well, in OG, it's the parka. So that's the favorite for that collection.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Why is that?

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Just again, I think the way the colors have come together. Also, just seeing the frame on people when they're wearing It feels new and forward and original. And it also really just sort of just when people are wearing it, they're beaming. So that's a lot of fun for me. So I'd say the park is my favorite frame in the collection.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

It's a beautiful frame.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah. So should we move on and talk about the other collections?

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Okay. So Seraphim, what we've done is, again, added some more unisex styling. going with the tradition of the classics updated, using cues from vintage eyewear, but then taking modern construction so that it's lighter weight, more comfortable, but it still has that beautiful hand finishing, the polished edges, the beveling. The hand of the product is definitely more premium, and to produce these frames, it's a bit more time-consuming. And we do also have the customization with the metalwork detailing customizations hinges custom metal platforms for the hinges and then the temple caps where they meet the front oftentimes are sealed together and combined with a metal plaque or plate texture metal all of those things just want to call out we've also done some color ads in the collection too we've done the Metro we added a really great-looking forest fade color and then they're just a nice heavy easy to wear tortoise with a black temple. So we wanted to go back to offering frames that are just really easy to wear and button down and professional looking just to round out the collection. That's why we did a few color ads in there. But then also there's new styles too, which definitely want to talk about that. We're seeing that the combination of metal and Windsor rim is coming back and it's quite popular. Did a lovely job with that in the Regent. The Regent has this sort of square shape, but it has some geometric tones to it where you have some cuts at the bottom of the lens. And you see that beautiful Japanese craftsmanship with the monoblock hinges and then also a lot of customization with the temple designs and all of that. So again, I'm really excited about this collection The Olsen also is a beautiful preppy looking plastic. Wonderful workmanship with custom hinges and temple core wires that are custom stamped. And it just gives Seraphim that look of, you know, the craftsmanship of days gone by, but it's still here and available. So unisex shapes are the highlight in here. We've also done some reveals on the temple where you can actually see through the acetates and it reveals the temple core wires that are custom. The Niagara would be an example of that. Something a little more stylish and assertive, but also very, very on trend right now. Northland is a metal that's a combination with the acetate and the metal. It's a titanium construction, so it's very lightweight. We have sort of a panto round shape but then there's some geometric twists and turns toward the top so that's kind of what we're looking at is just playing with the round shapes the geometrics and the squares this season they're very hot you'll notice also the acetates we're using more complex handmade acetates with the block plastics so you can see a multitude of colorways going through the materials and that's just what's so nice about serifin is is just this dressier upscale look that the product has which i feel we put a lot into the frame and at this price point i think it's a great value as well with all the custom work on the temples the hinges the castings of the metal that again lends itself to a more original feel so that's serifin and then red rose which I had mentioned Red Rose, is more of our capsule that is a little more modern and experimental, and that's in the OG collection, so Red Rose by OG. We're continuing some of these nice metal combinations with pops of color. A standout for me is the Nivelli, which the way we've kind of made the top surface of the metal wider, and then we've kind of twisted it and turned it around so that it's formed into a thinner temple and then the end pieces are sort of bent and turned so I just think the way we're bending and turning the metal and creating the juxtaposition of the flat surfaces toward the top where we can have some texture on that and then in the front view we can go a thinner profile that's you know gives a sturdiness and a really cool modern flair there's other things that are just the traditional more european feeling oversized over scale squares we've done that in an acetate called the romana and i love the brick color in the romana because it has a matte finish and also if you notice in the ivory bone color you have a matte surface which again makes it much easier to wear on the skin tones it's very flattering it's not as star as a white, so you get shadowing and you get a gray effect in that bone color, which I think that's beautiful and looks amazing. If they want to glaze it up as a sunglass, then we have a gradient color in there too. Also, the Comacina, that is a round, thinner profile, HD pressed technique on the acetate, so we can get a stronger acetate with a thinner profile and we've seen that in other frames like the pomizia but here we're doing this again with a nice new shape in the comasena easy to wear very very nice lightweight comfortable feel thin profile that is sort of a hallmark of this collection is the thinner profiles definitely experimenting with combos and windsor rims and acetate in the cadorna

UNKNOWN 16:51

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

And you can see the Cadorna was really, really beautiful, nice square, giving you that oversized feel. And we've explored different color ways. You have the gold, you have the olive, you have the reds and plum tones. Then we have the Cantu, which is a metal construction and it has little peeps of acetate on the brow corners as well. But there's some transparency and translucency there, which is really, really cool. Another frame that I like in Red Rose, one of my favorites is the A-Tree, which is a thin, metal, rounded sort of butterfly shape. And then we have those hand-painted corners. I love the black and the pink combinations. Really, really cool. And we have also a rose gold color with a mint color green as the accent, hand-painted enameling on the sides. What I think is really nice nice about Red Rose, and we're getting amazing attention with this collection and had really exquisite growth with the collection. What I like about it is that we've taken this mood of the 80s and the 70s eyewear, but brought it up to date. The sizes aren't so overscale. They have some nice new color combinations. So again, it feels really, really fresh. Now, another collection shimmer, I want to go into just a little detail because you'll see a change in the direction there where we've become a little bit more elaborate on the temples where it's not only just a stone setting or a stone texture, but we've complemented that with some fine metal work that has a more jewelry-like feel and look to it. So there's more dimensional castings and and and metalwork, where we've then inlaid and set the stones. I think that's a really exciting new direction for the collection, where the jewelry decor, it just, it emanates this feeling of fine jewelry, just really, really beautiful dimensional casting, just like fine jewelry. So we have the standouts there are the Shimmer 71. We have also the Shimmer 72, which is a nice metal. Let's see that one. Yeah, the rose one, shimmer 72 and rose is really beautiful. And you can see the stonework and the metal work. It just looks like exquisite jewelry. So that's kind of an overview with the collection and the standouts in them. I invite you to just take, you know, look at every frame in detail because we'll When we design the styles, we're thinking of that patient. We have them in mind. Like, who would look great in this look? Okay, we're going to do a round. We're going to do a square. And when we explore all of these different shapes and colors, we're imagining those people wearing it. And we always put a little bit of detail in every single frame that's original.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Speaking of the detail, are there any functional or material updates to this season that our reps should be highlighting?

SPEAKER_01 20:22

I think... I think the most important thing is the new acetate colors and the new acetate combinations because those laminations are custom. And so you see that's the really thrilling and exciting thing about every season is just to see how we're working with colors and acetates, combining them in unique ways. So we create a refreshing, fresh approach. So that's it. I think the acetate is the big story. It's definitely looking good. looking at that. And then also in Seraphim, let's look at some of those custom hinges, custom metal work on the temples, really nice treatments. For example, in Seraphim in the Malibu, if you just look at that frame, you can see you have a custom metal temple where it has that sturdy sort of metal working. And then inside the hinge, we have a platform that's customized as well. But then you see there's a tortoise that is applied to the metalwork. And that is a beautiful foil from Italy, actually, where we have them design these foils so they complement the acetate. And then we apply that to the metalwork. So I think just as a technique, that's something that stands out as being really special, unique, and more forward for the collection is combining the different, the metalwork, the foils, on the metal to give the tortoise a look and feel and putting that all together in the acetate front.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Yeah, those hidden details like the ornamentation on the see-through temples is really something that makes that collection pop.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Yeah, and I think it's just a window into the workmanship and craftsmanship of the collection. So you get visibility on how these frames are made and constructed. And the detailing really does show that special care that's put into the design.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

It couches it in luxury. Yeah. The virtual try-on app, it's been huge for us. It seems to be growing hits every single day. And how has it influenced your design process?

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Well, the thing about it is that it gives me the opportunity to offer a few more colors than I normally would do. So if a frame would normally have two colors or three colors I've gone to four, sometimes five, because I feel like I do understand that that shop might not take all the colors. But now that we have the virtual try on and they have hundreds of SKUs in their pocket while they're doing that precise fitting, I think that's something that I keep in mind when I'm designing is that, you know, sometimes these buyers aren't as adventurous for their shelves with color range, but then if we are independently minded and we want to serve those patients in a unique and different way we have to offer those additional colors so I think keeping in mind that yeah I could do that crazier pink or that crazier white or bone color or I can play in these colors because if I know the optical professional is going to be showing that in the VTO so when there's that special customer who loves purple or they love red or they love blue then we have to have it for them. And so in merchandising and creating the collection, we're realizing that there's now a digital aspect for people to be showrooming or looking at the collection. And this just adds dimension to the optical professional's ability to satisfy the patients in a much more precise way.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

Yeah. And that perfect one-to-one scaling.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Yeah, because of course it's an Apple device and they do, it's the 3D camera that's face recognition. And that gives the ability for them to measure. So when we give them the CAD drawings of the frame itself, all the measurements are true. So when somebody goes and puts that on their face, you know that it's measured their face and it has the measurements of the frame. So immediately when somebody puts on the frame, they can assess this will fit me, this won't fit me. And because just the artisans who are putting together these virtual try on images. They are so true to life that you feel that it's exactly like going and looking in a mirror with the colors as well, not just the sizing and the shape.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

And I love hearing those stories from the field of the reps demonstrating it to the practices and just always hearing that. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Yeah. And, you know, it's kind of funny that when I go out there and I explain the VTO because you don't want to over explain it because then it just chokes them with technology what you want to do is say you know here's the qr code do you have an apple phone okay you do does it have face recognition face id yes it does okay hey why don't you just use this qr code right now and load it on and then let's look at yourself in you know with a frame and snap a picture and send it to somebody because what that does is it creates immediate engagement and then you have verification that they're using it and know how to use it And then if you are also planting the seed, like, hey, why don't you share that with our marketing department? Because they'll post it for you in their stories. So it just creates this bolder, stronger ecosystem of getting the word out and having people engage with our product, play with it, try it on, have fun. And that's the exciting part of virtual try-on is that possibilities are really limitless. And the more I go out there, I'm seeing that more and more people are using it, realizing it's a professional tool. This isn't just a novelty like some of the other toys out there.

UNKNOWN 26:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

David, we're going to be in Las Vegas soon. Yeah. We always have a popular booth. What can our visitors expect from us this year?

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Well, we always have a little drink that we pass around and we have lots of snacks. So that keeps you in your seat because it's always a nice surprise every day to see you know, what we're going to offer. But the best part is just it's a great, casual, relaxing, fun environment for people to see our entire collections. And that's an important part, too, because sometimes when you're visiting the offices, you just don't have the time to show all the collections.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

And now with the the slogan for the Optical Foundry being independence for the independent and it's How do you see fall 2025 helping independents stand out from big competitors?

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Well, what I see out there is the bigger competitors, they aren't really experimenting or doing as many original things. They just are sort of billboarding their logoing. And season after season, I think that gets a little bit boring. And I feel that if we can capture people's attention with better design and show them the experimentation with colors and reinforce that as an independent company like theirs, there's this symbiotic relationship where the optical shops, they can lean on us to do a lot of this testing and experimenting with different motifs and designs and details and stampings and colors and acetates. So really, this is where a lot of the invention happens is in independent companies because what i do see is these bigger conglomerate insurance driven whatever the company is those companies they really stay pretty safe so what's interesting is we're we kind of straddle that because we're we have a different point of view you know each piece has a reason behind it it serves a purpose to look Let the person wearing it look according to how they want to look. It amplifies their personality. And so I'm not sure when the brands are committed to billboarding and logoing, I don't feel like they have the same commitment as we do. So the attention we put to the colors and to the materials and to the shapes, hand drawing the shapes to make sure they're flattering on the face, that's the difference for us. And I will say about, I want to go back to Vision Expo and Wes mentioning just again that this is a launch because we've extended between the two shows, the launch of Skojo NYC 212. And we're going to have a special section in the booth to highlight that. And I want everybody to take a second look at that product because when I was out showing it, it reminded me that there's a lot of great, easy shapes and And the price point is amazing. And that product, because it obviously is at a more accessible price point, and we've been using spring hinges and things like that that people are looking for as well in that price point, we offer an alternative to these other companies who are selling product at that price point. So it expands our relationship and makes it deeper. Also, I've done some bigger sizes in that collection. So when people say, Oh, I need a big fit. I need a 55. I need a 59. I need a 60. I need a 57. You know, go to that collection because that's a really great opportunity to have a fit story that you have.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

All right, listeners, if you caught David's favorite style earlier, email your answer to greg.hodson, that's g-r-e-g dot h-o-d-g-s-o-n at ogiiware.com by September 6th. We'll draw one lucky winner for the free frame certificate. David, thank you. Thank you, listeners. And please visit us at theopticalfoundry.com to see the collection or come see us at the booth at Vision Expo West.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

Your welcome greg and thank you very much for listening everyone drive safely out there and you know go out and get them and make the world beautiful with our frames i really appreciate it thank you

SPEAKER_00 31:20

take care

SPEAKER_01 31:26

everyone