First Look: Eyewear Brand Dita Opens on North Rodeo Drive
Dita has opened up shop on North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Founded in 1995, with roots in surf culture, the luxury eyewear brand landed on Melrose Avenue before expanding to Newport Beach, San Francisco, New York City in SoHo and Madison Avenue, Sydney and Tokyo in Aoyama and Daikanyama.
More from WWD
Dita (Latin for “I enrich”) began growing when Micky Dillon took the reins in 2011. President and co-owner at the time, the Dillon family has been the sole proprietor of Dita as of 2019, with a team of 150 employees and distribution centers globally.
By fall, the company plans to open in London, by Harrods off Brompton Road, and in Paris by trendy Hôtel Costes before hitting more markets.
“Our goal right now is to launch, I would say, 20 to 25 [stores] in the next three years as they are very profitable for us,” said Dita’s vice president of marketing, Cody Cho. He expects total year-over-year sales to increase by 40 percent by end of 2022. “We’re really trying to focus on spots that have high adjacency luxury brands that fit within our demographic.”
Located at 479 North Rodeo Drive #104, the new 1,200-square-foot space (near to Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin) has a minimal interior, with titanium paneling and shelving, imported marble, leather accents and contemporary lighting from the Netherlands.
Courtesy of Dita
“Our stores are the most profitable they’ve ever been,” said Cho of expansion. “So obviously, for us, we want to keep that momentum.”
The independent brand, with eyewear priced between $650 and $1,200, is handcrafted in Japan. Celebrity fans include Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez and the Olsen twins — who are credited for bringing back the oversized trend in the early 2000s when they were often seen in the brand’s “Supa Dupa” frames.
Next, the company plans to branch out of eyewear, launching leather goods and denim next year.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
