AHLEM. Between Paris and Los Angeles
A Parisian in Los Angeles, artisans in France and three frames to picture yourself wearing: Alexandre III, Harpe and Prairie. Step into AHLEM.
You can cross the Atlantic and still carry Paris with you. Ahlem Manai-Platt did so in the names of her glasses: Alexandre III, Pont des Arts, Rue Bosquet. She founded AHLEM in Los Angeles in 2014. Her home city stayed in the collection as her approach to style found its own direction.
A city in her suitcase
A bridge, a street, a neighbourhood: AHLEM’s names hold the pleasure of recognising a place. The designer chose to have her frames made in France, keeping a tangible connection to the country she came from.
The ambition was to make glasses that would remain interesting beyond a season. Place petrol-coloured acetate beside a gold cat-eye and you begin to see how much freedom that idea allows.
The detail you notice on day two
First you see the shape. Later, taking the glasses from their case, you notice an angled edge, an engraved temple, a transition from matte to polished. AHLEM entrusts this work to French artisans, including Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.
Bauhaus is one of the brand’s references: curves and geometry become tools for designing the object. The pleasure of wearing it is more immediate. You find it in the small detail you missed at first and now look for every time.
Alexandre III: make room for petrol blue
Alexandre III Petrol Light gives a confident rectangle depth through acetate. The colour becomes rich where the front is thickest and more translucent along the edges.
If you wear blue, grey or white often, picture it there: familiar enough to enter your wardrobe easily, distinctive enough to change the whole look. Start with this optical frame if you want a colour that keeps rewarding a closer look.
Harpe: eyes up
The cat-eye of Harpe Peony Gold rises towards the temples in a fine metal outline. It leaves the eyes visible while giving their frame a clear direction.
Steel plated with palladium and 22-karat gold, plus laser-engraved titanium nose pads: the care extends to parts you see only when you take it off. Picture it with your hair up and an open-necked shirt. That gold line already says a great deal.
Prairie: black, lilac, ready to go
Prairie Black / Lilac pairs an elongated black front with lilac lenses that let the eyes show through. The combination immediately changes the mood of dark sunglasses.
Picture a T-shirt, jeans and an afternoon with no fixed plans. Black brings everything together; lilac adds the unexpected choice that makes it feel like yours.
Which pair can you picture by the front door?
Alexandre III if you keep returning to that petrol colour. Harpe if the fine cat-eye draws you in. Prairie if you already want to see lilac on your face. Follow the pair that has you thinking about wearing it tomorrow.
The AHLEM selection has photographs and details to take the choice further. Buy online or try the frames at the OCCHIO boutique in Crema.
Bring AHLEM into your next day.
Sources and photography
AHLEM · Story · AHLEM · About · AHLEM · Craft & Materials
Brand history and craftsmanship are drawn from AHLEM’s official pages. Readings of shapes and colour pairings express OCCHIO’s editorial perspective. Model specifications: OCCHIO product pages. Opening photograph: AHLEM SS25 campaign; product photographs: AHLEM imagery from the OCCHIO catalogue.