NEW YORK—The Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) board of directors has ratified the membership of 30 new designers for 2014; among the new inductees are optical industry members Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi of l.a. Eyeworks.

“The CFDA community continues to grow with the induction of new members into the organization,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “These designers are not just uniquely talented but they also represent, through their businesses, an important contribution to the American economy and job creation.”

"We're honored to become members of the CFDA and we are especially pleased any time eyewear design is recognized for its importance to the dialogue of fashion," said Gherardi.

The CFDA membership now totals 478, current members already include eyewear designers Shane Baum of Baumvision, Blake Kuwahara of Focus Group West, Larry Leight of Oliver Peoples, Natalie Levy of Grey Ant, Robert Marc, Patty Perreira of Barton Perreira, Christian Roth, Justin Salguero and Daniel Silberman of Illesteva, and Selima Salaun of Selima Optique, who also serves as the organization’s treasurer.

CFDA admissions occur each spring, with prospective CFDA members required to contact the CFDA to request admissions materials. Eligible candidates must be American citizens designing in the U.S. or abroad or foreign nationals with businesses based in the U.S.

The application for membership includes a resume, a portfolio and other materials that represent the candidate’s work to date, and two letters of recommendation from active CFDA members in the same area of design. The admissions committee then recommends selected candidates for membership to the board of directors which reviews all submissions and ratifies each candidate.

The CFDA is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1962 that leads industrywide initiatives and whose membership consists of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry and accessory designers.