Inside the Lab: Five Untold Stories Behind the Vooglam X TOMBOGO Frames

The Inspiration

TOMBOGO's design philosophy starts with a radical question: What if overlooked everyday objects contain extraordinary utility we've been trained to ignore?

USB drives, geological samples, surveyor equipment, climbing gear, molecular diagrams, these objects aren't conventional design inspirations, but they're honest. Their forms have been refined through use and real-world needs.

This is where the "Vision Tools" concept was born. When Vooglam approached TOMBOGO about a collaboration, the connection was immediate. Vooglam brought precision optical engineering. TOMBOGO brought the conceptual framework: each frame would test a different hypothesis about what eyewear could be. The result is a limited collection that reads like design experiments.

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The Story of Hypothesis

The Decoder

The Spark: It started with the same thing we start with, DNA. Specifically the DNA helix structures, not as visual reference, but as a form. Tommy Bogo asked: what's the most basic building block fo information needed to support lenses and rest on a face? The answer was a natural one. This meant applying the genetic structure to the frame itself

The Challenge: Engineering frameless design while maintaining optical precision. Traditional frames distribute stress through the front rim. Remove it and temples must hold prescription lenses securely while feeling weightless. The temple attachment needed to be both invisible and structural. Dozens of prototypes later, the final design achieved "invisible" support you trust immediately. The Decoder proves absence can be as powerful as presence—when carefully engineered.

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The Geologist

The Spark: Geological formations and the unique texture Mother Earth and the passing of time imbues them with. Rare stone textures that form under extreme pressure over time. The reversal: bringing the ancient to the future Earth's patient craftsmanship translated to eyewear feeling both organic and engineered.

The Challenge: Capturing authentic mineral texture without the weight. Real stone would make the frames unwearable. The final version is both lightweight and full of airiness while capturing the most essential qualities of these precious stones.

Organic aesthetics met precision engineering. Get The Geologist Look >>

The Utilitarian

The Spark: Analog tools in a digital world. Surveyor equipment, navigation instruments, field gear. The question: What if eyewear helped you orient spatially and conceptually? Compasses and levels—instruments so fundamental that digital versions feel unnecessary.

The Challenge: Integrating functional compass and level without gimmickry. The modular design had to maintain elegance while ensuring tools actually worked—compass staying calibrated, level providing accurate readings. Making utility aspirational required restraint. The tools needed to feel integral to frame structure, not added features. The Utilitarian makes precision tools personal.

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The Architect

The Spark: A climber's rack of carabiners, life-support equipment refined over decades. What if eyewear used climbing hardware's modular connection principles? Alpine equipment met urban streetwear aesthetics. Frames acknowledging they're built objects designed to be understood, modified, maintained.

The Challenge: Integrating climbing hardware structurally, not decoratively. Lightweight engineering meant every gram justified. Creating intuitive modularity without instructions. The frame had to work for someone who's never climbed while honoring alpine equipment's precision. The Architect turns perspective into something buildable and rebuildable.

Industrial design for the everyday. Construct Your Look with The Architect >>

The Programmer

The Spark: On the go data access for nomads and musicians. What if your eyewear contained essential data? 64GB USB storage as underutilized wearable tech. I mean you're not going to lose your favourite pair of glasses , so your data should be safe right?

The Challenge: Integrating USB storage without bulk or fragility. Storage needed to be accessible yet protected from physical stress, or obvious failure points. Making tech integration feel natural meant ensuring USB enhanced frame design rather than contradicting it. Early prototypes were "tech gadgets with glasses attached." Final iteration: frames first, with integrated storage that was a part of the design rather an an addition to it. The Programmer proves technology and style aren't separate categories.

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From Sketch to "Hypothesis"

Months from concept to prototype. The Decoder's temple attachment required multiple approaches. The Geologist's surface treatment went through countless material tests. Collaboration between TOMBOGO's vision and Vooglam's technical execution became the creative engine.

This is why the collection is limited edition: specialized production processes that are nearly impossible at scale. Custom tooling, material sourcing, quality control standards that don't exist in mass manufacturing. Quality control delayed launch twice—not from problems, but from the standard being "these need to be perfect." Each frame represents months of refinement you feel when you hold them.

Who is This Design For? (Find Your Avatar)

The Decoder: Minimalists, coders, systems thinkers who value reduction to essentials.

The Geologist: Material lovers, tactile thinkers connected to physical objects and natural processes.

The Utilitarian: Organizers, navigators, precision-minded makers who calibrate and measure.

The Architect: Builders, modularity enthusiasts, systems thinkers who see the world as constructible.

The Programmer: Digital natives, data workers, tech-forward professionals living between devices.

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