![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Damir-Doma-and-xxx-by-Jason-Fosco.jpg\" "\\"Damir")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Damir Doma and Berlin\u2019s most collaborative specs makers, Mykita, will launch their first joint line DD01 next week. DD02 and 03 are sure to follow, as Damir Doma\u2019s recent runway show in Paris revealed. Sleek met up with Doma and Mykita\u2019s CEO and Creative Director Moritz Kr\u00fcger, to find out more about the origins of the ultimate circular horn specs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sleek: How did the collaboration come about? Sleek: What\u2019s special about the frames, why did it take three years to finalize the product? Sleek: You decided to make a round frame \u2013 what does the shape express for you? Sleek: Why did you choose horn? Were you looking for a challenge?<\/strong> Damir<\/strong>First I had to identify the material that fit me. It was clear that it had to be a natural material. Luckily, Moritz was open to working with a material that Mykita has had no experience with. That\u2019s quite a risk to take\u2026 So we decided on horn.
Damir Doma: <\/strong>I really wanted to design sunglasses and was looking for a partner. I didn\u2019t have to look very far though as it quickly became clear that Mykita would be the best partner for me. I think they\u2019re one of the only truly innovative brands out there that really offer high quality products.
Moritz Kr\u00fcger:<\/strong> We both had to learn something from the other person. Damir flew over from Paris to see our production place in Berlin, the technology we\u2019re using and how we work. Then he showed us his look-books so we would get an idea of his vision and way of working. It was a long process \u2013 we started three years ago! That\u2019s how long it took us to be able to present our first sunglasses and specs collection now.<\/p>\n
Damir<\/strong>: It\u2019s a totally innovative product; we really created something that wasn\u2019t there before. That\u2019s what we were shooting for from the start. That\u2019s how I work when I create my collections, too.
Moritz: <\/strong>Another fundamental aspect was that we wanted to work with our own resources and stay independent. That\u2019s the only way to develop further as a brand. Over 90 per cent of frames available today are replicas of existing models. If you make a conventional model that\u2019s also good and popular, you\u2019ll end up with countless copies in no time \u2013 faster than you can produce yourself, in fact. I think we\u2019re one of the only spectacles and sunglasses brands that have never been copied.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/d.doma_mykita_ss13_3-681x1024.jpg\" "\\"Damir"){kind=spacer}
<\/p>\n
Damir: <\/strong>It\u2019s a wonderfully timeless shape. <\/strong>At the same time it\u2019s also reminiscent of Fifties and Sixties intellectuals and existentialists. But above all it\u2019s a perfect shape. We also wanted a very precise roundness for our very first collaboration, which had to be a statement piece.
Moritz<\/strong>: Damir made it clear he wanted a round frame, so the shape was never an issue. The materials however were a different story. It\u2019s very difficult to mix steel and horn. We always try to find a technical solution in our production that would also bring aesthetically pleasing results. The challenge here was to use horn, not as an application but as an integral, functional part of the design. We\u2019re never worked with horn before, so quite a lot of research and development went into making this product.
Damir: <\/strong>\u00a0I think this actually gives the product its identity.<\/p>\n
Moritz:<\/strong> Historically speaking, horn has been used in specs because it\u2019s natural, meaning, more suitable for contact with the skin than other materials.
Damir: <\/strong>That was the argument that sealed the deal for me.
Moritz: <\/strong>Usually, natural materials are only used in frames as an application on to the contact points with the skin. And then it\u2019s usually done in an all but subtle manner. That\u2019s the opposite of everything we wanted.
Damir: <\/strong>I love well-designed products. Quality is also extremely important nowadays, because the customer wants to know what they\u2019re spending money on, why an item costs a certain amount. The products we make are quite expensive, these frames too, but I think it\u2019s conveyable, as long as the customer understand why. A lot of stuff today is just expensive, and the quality is shit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/d.doma_mykita_ss13_1-681x1024.jpg\" "\\"Damir"){kind=spacer}
Sleek: Moritz, you\u2019ve collaborated with many designers by now. What are your criteria for selecting people to collaborate with?
Moritz: <\/strong>The personal level is the most important thing. You have to like each other and enjoy working together. And then both sides have to want to create something completely new that expresses the visions of both. So you go on a journey together, and sometimes it works out and you end up with a great product, but there are also times where it doesn\u2019t.
Damir: <\/strong>Well, it took us three years; I must admit there were moments I thought it wasn\u2019t going to happen.<\/p>\n