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five Questions for …

The brainchild of Marc Rothstein, O Dark Thirty initially came to market at 2010's Vision Expo East. After his untimely death, his sister, industry veteran Martine, and wife, Juli, are continuing his line of luxury eyewear produced in China. Here Martine Rothstein shares her insights.

EB Your company was relatively new when your founder passed away; what is happening now?

MR Marc became sick in 2009, and so his wife Juli and I took on more active roles to maintain the momentum he had been building.

The first part of the O Dark Thirty collection was complete, the second was in final design development, and we were ready to launch in the U.S. when he died last year.

Since we had already been exposed to the daily running of the company, we were able to move forward. We delayed the U.S. launch and redesigned the corporate and sales structure. We are up and running full steam ahead.

EB How is the market accepting Chinese luxury goods?

MR It can be a tough sell. Our customers are realistic and understanding. However, it is not necessarily the country of origin that makes your product better.

Regardless of where we manufacture, our product is made well, and can compete with any country. China does not necessarily mean cheap—quality depends on the manufacturer.

EB Can a new company get a toe-hold on frameboards?

MR It's not as big of a problem as in the past. Our styles are progressive, which is key. Our particular customer is more interested in lesser-known brands. In this case, the more obscure, the more appealing.

EB How can ECPs utilize non-licensed/optical brands?

MR ECPs can benefit greatly as the absence of royalties mean a better price point, a better bottom line for them, and in our case no sacrifice in quality. The new generation of eyeglass and sun wearers are not as impressed with luxury brand names as in the past. It's about quality and the evolution of style.

EB Where do you see luxury optical's recovery going?

MR The slowing of the economy brought about the birth of the “new” luxury market. It is a category unto itself now and is thriving. People with high disposable incomes are subtly more conscious of pricing and those with mid-level disposable incomes are price driven but still desire the opulence of a luxury brand.