John Juniper and Jeff Solorio on their debut Morgenthal Frederics collection: 'Heritage is not static'

For more than a century, Morgenthal Frederics has built a loyal clientele on craftsmanship and personal service. With their debut fall/winter 2026 collection, John Juniper and Jeff Solorio aim to bring those same values to a new generation.

“Relevance does not come from chasing trends,” they told FashionUnited. “It comes from making the values of the brand feel alive now.”

The collection marks a significant evolution of the brand’s Japanese acetate and titanium offering. Horn remains “the pinnacle of the collection,” the designers said, but the new styles, handcrafted in Japan, give each material “its own character.”

Many of those details are “designed to be discovered at close range.” Select styles feature hand-etched surfaces, custom accents and subtle Morgenthal Frederics symbols on the lenses and nose pads. New purple temple tips across the acetate and titanium styles offer what the designers call “a discreet point of recognition rather than an overt logo moment.”

Juniper and Solorio, who founded Dita Eyewear in 1995, describe their role at the New York house as “stewardship.” “Heritage should provide direction without becoming a set of restrictions,” they said. “The goal is to create work that feels current and expressive while retaining the rigor, humanity and individual character that people associate with Morgenthal Frederics.”

Horn, which Morgenthal Frederics pioneered in eyewear, is evolving too. The designers see room “to evolve through proportion, construction and finish.” “A lighter profile can emphasize comfort and refinement, while a more substantial silhouette can reveal greater depth in the grain,” they said.

Building Dita gave the pair “a good understanding of how a design language develops over time.” At Morgenthal Frederics, however, “our role is to listen before we speak, to understand the brand’s codes, its material authority and the expectations of its clients,” they said.

The two do not divide the creative work into separate territories. “Ideas move back and forth between us, and every decision is challenged and refined along the way,” they said. “By the time a frame is resolved, it should feel unmistakably Morgenthal Frederics rather than belonging to either one of us, individually.”

That focus on cohesion extends to the wearer. The collection ranges “from quiet, refined frames to pieces with much more presence.” “A Morgenthal Frederics frame should have a clear point of view, but it should never overwhelm the individual,” the designers said.

“John and Jeff bring a deep understanding of eyewear design and a genuine respect for what makes Morgenthal Frederics distinctive,” said Antoine Amiel, president and chief executive officer of New Look Vision Group.

The collection is presented through Heritage in Motion, a campaign photographed by London-based photographer Darren Gwynn. For the designers, the title captures the idea that heritage “is not static. It is a foundation for experimentation and evolution.”

Next, they plan to keep exploring horn and to introduce the brand to a broader global audience. “In five years, we’d like Morgenthal Frederics to be recognized not only for its longstanding authority in natural buffalo horn, but also for equally distinctive work in acetate and titanium,” they said.

The collection, available Thursday at morgenthalfrederics.com and in the brand’s 13 boutiques, spans optical and sun styles in natural buffalo horn, Japanese acetate and titanium. Prices range from 795 to 2,995 dollars.