Luxury eyewear brand Ahlem has landed on Melrose Place, bringing its unique take on materials and craftsmanship — founder Ahlem Manai-Platt views eyewear as objects — into a new selling space, the brand’s second in Los Angeles.
“I dreamed all my life for a store on Melrose,” founder and creative director Manai-Platt told WWD.
Born in Paris to Tunisian parents, the creative calls the French capital home but launched Ahlem in L.A. in 2014 and she still considers it a formative place. “Los Angeles has been very important to me. I lived there for many years, and the city gave me a sense of freedom, light and openness — all of that shaped the way I create,” she said.
Rendering of the interior of Ahlem’s largest store on Melrose Place.
Courtesy of Ahlem
The new flagship “atelier,” as all her boutiques are known, sits at 8478-A Melrose Place and is the handcrafted eyewear brand’s largest to date. It continues a creative dialogue of creating a space alongside architect Maja Bernvill, who created the Ahlem Paris atelier. Melrose sees Bernvill and Manai-Platt muse on the legacy of Austrian American modernist Rudolph Schindler and the conceptual approach of Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.
The space engages customers with ideas on light, flow and materials. Manai-Platt sees the materials used as an expression of thought and mood. “I wanted the Melrose space to offer that same emotional resonance: a quiet intensity, where architecture invites you to feel rather than simply see,” she said.
Each material was carefully chosen: oiled dark American walnut — a California native — anchors it with warmth; Marmorino, a lime-based plaster, is hand-finished with Savon de Marseille soap to achieve a radiant, natural sheen, and raw corten steel, weathered to reveal its powerful inherent properties, forms a protective, textural shield around the space.
Rendering of the interior of Ahlem’s largest store on Melrose Place.
Courtesy of Ahlem
“I really do imagine the stores as a the temple for the object,” she said of her new flagship. “You feel the vibe, the calmness.”
Upon entering, clients are greeted with an austere yet calming space where craft is king, displaying frames handcrafted by artisans in Oyonnax, France. “When you are inside, you have the connection of the metal, the plaster and the glass,” which all bring the space together, she said.
Melrose has a first for the brand — a private room where clients can engage with the creations on a more personal level. It’s here that Manai-Platt meets with clients for the ultimate expression of her creative spirt with her one-of-one program. She assesses their need through conversation and sketches, crafting a singular style that will only be made once. Clients can thank LeBron James for the idea; it was born out of her creating six one-of-a-kind pairs for the NBA legend.
“With knowing that I can design for LeBron, then I realized I can then do this with any face,” she said, adding while it is a luxury product, it’s really solving a problem for people who have tried other eyewear brands “and couldn’t find something that really fit, not only physically, but also inside their core, what they actually want to say about themselves wearing glasses.”
As she continues to expand her retail footprint, each location will now have a private space included, furthering the concept.
Ahlem’s handcrafted frames.
In an eyewear category that continues to expand with new players with brands chasing celebrity and adding smart technology, Manai-Platt trusts her gut, moving with purpose. “Look at our product — nothing screams,” she said. “This is exactly what we continue to do. It feels authentic.”
It hasn’t always been an been easy decision to not follow the pack and not “make it big and loud. But when I looked at myself, I said, ‘Would I like this? Would I want to wear a frame that is in that conversation. Why do I want to be part of a company that is in that conversation?’”
Manai-Platt said her goal is never to fulfill every category. “It’s too much. We’re just going to grow smart.”
Over the last 11 years, outside investors with luxury marquee names have approached with offers, but she has declined until this past year, taking on an investment from 1686 Partners and naming former Thélios executive Enrico Sanavia as chief executive officer.
Ahlem’s Paris Atelier
Courtesy of Ahlem
“I know the respect of the craft they have,” she said of 1686 Partners, founded by David Wertheimer, son of Chanel co-owner Gérard Wertheimer. “I know that the Chanel group has helped artisans to actually survive and not to squeeze them for production.”
The evolution is helping her to expand but thoughtfully. “The Ahlem identity and voice is so discreet, it’s so ‘if you know, you know,’ but stores have to be open in the major cities so people can actually link to this conversation,” she said.
And with Melrose opening by the end of September, she already has her eyes set on a second location in Manhattan, with plans to also expand her Paris flagship.
“We’re creating something that will last forever and will authentically be us,” Manai-Platt said.