Growing up in South Sioux City, Nebraska, Tommy O’Gara was exposed to engineering from an early age. As the son of a builder, he would often visit his father’s workshop and construction sites, fueling his interest in machinery, materials and making. While his peers found satisfaction in their sketchbooks alone, the young O’Gara saw his drawings as blueprints of sorts, bringing them to life with his own two hands. These formative years in the American Midwest not only saw the act of making become second nature, but nurtured an adventurous and rebellious spirit that would shape his creative process for years to come.

Relocating to Japan in the early 1980s, O’Gara worked across a range of creative sectors on the way to establishing himself as a key figure within the eyewear industry. Building on this wealth of experience, he founded The Light in 2013 with a commitment to cutting-edge design, responsible production and the highest level of quality. Among the company’s stable of brands is Native Sons, a celebration of the thinkers, makers and doers of the post-World War Two era. Each one of the brand’s hundred-plus styles is the culmination of a process completed entirely in-house, from concept development all the way through to production.

The origins of a Native Sons design can be traced back to an original, hand-drawn sketch. These drawings give form to the seeds of inspiration O’Gara gathers on his travels and through the course of daily life. While the sources may vary from architecture to air shows, motorbikes to machinery, there is one key exception: the world of eyewear. “For me, words are the bones of the design,” explains O’Gara, drawing an analogy from his background in sculpture and mould-making. “First, I’ll write down my thoughts, then I’ll pick out some words to create a mantra to begin drawing.” The lenses are always drawn first and as the process unfolds, colourways and other details begin to emerge in a natural manner. Passing through numerous iterations, the design can be developed into a 3D prototype in a matter of weeks, swiftly turning concepts into reality.

Native Sons designs take shape in The Light’s main factory in Sabae, Fukui prefecture, a city known as the major centre for eyewear manufacturing in Japan. In the former farm building, once used for tractor and tool storage, frames in plant-based cellulose acetate and high-grade titanium are cut, formed, shaped and tumbled by a small team of technicians. Transported to a second factory, located across the river in Fukui city, the frames are then polished, assembled by hand and finished with immaculate detail.

At home on the factory floor, O’Gara has developed a deep appreciation for the engineering, craftsmanship and demands of producing high-quality eyewear. Regularly witnessing his ideas come to fruition in a production setting, he ultimately finds the greatest satisfaction in seeing his creations in the context of daily life. While his retro modern designs, which range from the bank robber-inspired Cooper to homages to beat movement figures Ginsberg and Kerouac, bear references to characters past and present, it’s the way in which they resonate with one’s personal style that catches his eye. “It’s almost like a vibration,” says the charismatic designer with a smile.

by Ben Davis