Tart Optical Story

Tart Optical Enterprises Inc. (OTE) was a small but legendary maker of eye frames founded in New York City in the mid 1940's. Through the years, Tart Optical optical frames have consistently reflected the demands of the optical market and the trends of fashion. Tart Optical has always been associated with maintaining a high caliber of quality product sold by the company.

Plastics frames became more popular during the late thirties, in part because World War II pushed the use of plastic by creating a scarcity of other more traditional materials used previously. OTE was there at the beginning long before fabrication and finishing procedures developed.

All frames are 100%, Handmade in Italy.

In the beginning OTE used basic colors, few more than black or tortoise. However, as they became available, other colors and patterns were added. The frames became highly decorated, and often included dimensional metal trims. In the women?s collection Austrian baguettes and rhinestones were used "to dress a frame with luxury."

Combination frames made their debut during the late forties and OTE's experience in the manufacture of metals and plastics put the company in a position to supply beautiful blends of the materials. These new blends became suddenly in complementary demand. The resulting successful products made Tart Optical a major international supplier of combination frames and plastic zylesl.

At the same time Tart Optical made a bold move in creating the first ever 7 barrel hinge, making their frames more durable and ultimately establishing a trademark in unsurpassed quality and excellence to this day.

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