Tart Optical Enterprises (OTE) was incorporated in Middletown, NY in 1948 and so the beginning of the "ARNEL" was born in 1949.
OTE became famous in the early 1950's when James Dean started wearing the "ARNEL" frame.
Ironically due to it's popularity that was the beginning that surged many companies to imitate copies of the classic "ARNEL" shape.
The story goes that Regency became one of many companies to recreate the "ARNEL" under a separate collection called Shady Character the line was called "James Dean Eyewear Collection" which was private labeled and distributed by OTE which later a legal battle started for the use of James Dean's name without authorization in behalf of the James Dean estate ultimately caused the line to end.
Tart Optical's Hand Crafted Frames The Arnel and the FDR
worn by James Dean, Johnny Depp, Jeff Goldblum, Brandon Boyd, james Franco,
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