French designer Ahlem Manai-Platt has a motto: “go get it.” She has worn many hats within the fashion world, from designer to merchandising manager to consultant. Now, she runs an eponymous cross-continental sunglass empire.
In 2014, Manai-Platt launched AHLEM, a fashion eyewear company inspired by her Parisian roots. She soon opened stores in Venice Beach and Los Angeles, and featured in various stores such as the French Colette. Now, she will expand her eyewear empire even further, opening a new branch in New York City.
“I wanted it to be something I personally connected to,” says Manai-Platt about the founding of AHLEM.
Her new location is: 228 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY, 10012.
Ahlem Manai-Platt, the Parisian Artist
Art spoke to Manai-Platt since early childhood. “I’ve been wearing sunglasses and playing with accessories since I was young,” Manai-Platt tells W Magazine, “and I wanted to carve out a nice for myself in that arena, injecting some of my own personality and classic French irreverence to the designs as well.” As a child, her favorite activity was drawing. The first thing she bought with her own money was a camera. These artistic hobbies no doubt solidified Manai-Platt’s interest in fashion.
Manai-Platt is a native of Paris, France. “I know every nook and cranny of the city,” she tells Vogue. Although she relocated to California, her eyeglasses are made in the South of France and named after Parisian streets. She keeps the Parisian flavor of fashion alive in all her works.
Ahlem Manai-Platt: “I Live in Glasses”
After ten years in fashion consulting, Manai-Platt finally turned to the eyewear niche that would solidify her as a force in the fashion world. She worked for Acne Studios, Miu Miu, and Prada in France before she started her own consulting firm in 2012. The firm, Retailist, focused on helping up-and-coming French designers build up their brands.
“I live in glasses,” Manai-Platt says. The decision to start AHLEM began one day at a café in Paris.
“We were discussing foals, and I showed the group a sketch from my notebook. The expressed excitement gave me the guts; the loss of a beloved pair of sunnies gave me the final push,” Manai-Platt recalls, “And that’s how the brand was born.”
Inspired by Paris, AHLEM Brand Circulates in High Society
AHLEM sunglasses have quite a few famous fans, including Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, and Beyonce. “I don’t really do celebrity gifting, so for Beyonce to discover my collection on her own and buy a pair of glasses was a big deal,” Manai-Platt explains. Her latest project, the eponymous AHLEM, is a deluxe eye and sunglasses, made out of high quality materials and designed with Manai-Platt’s native Paris in mind.
The frames are made out of several impressive materials and go through a rigorous crafting process, ensuring quality alongside style. This includes frames electroplated in 22k gold, hand-engraved designs, and vintage acetate that Manai-Platt herself handpicks in France.
An intricate detail of AHLEM eyewear, a homage to the early 20th century Bauhaus movement.
Karlie Kloss wearing AHLEM’s Place des Alpes Sunglasses
Shop the AHLEM brand’s collections on their official website.
