AHLEM
Eyewear as Heirloom: Conscious Select × AHLEM
AHLEM began with a sketch in a notebook and a lost pair of vintage sunglasses. Ahlem Manai-Platt, Paris-born and Los Angeles-based, had studied art history and worked at Lanvin and APC before the idea crystallised: eyewear of genuine quality, designed beyond trend, made by people who knew exactly what they were doing. She showed the sketch to friends at a café in Paris. The response was enough.
The brand launched in 2014 with nine handmade frames in plant-based acetate. The point of view was fully formed from the start. Frames that travel through three specialised ateliers and pass through the hands of nine artisans, each holding a different skill passed down through generations, each completing their part of up to two hundred individual processes. The result is a pair of glasses that Manai-Platt describes as heirloom quality — not a marketing phrase but an accurate description of what it means when something is made this way.
The Making
AHLEM frames are handcrafted in Oyonnax, France, a region with deep roots in eyewear production, and in Japan. Materials are plant-based acetate from Mazzucchelli, a sixth-generation family-owned producer in Lombardy, naturally non-toxic titanium, and lenses by Christian Dalloz, a French manufacturer with over sixty years of expertise. Metals and acetates are never discarded — they are recycled into new objects for resale. The (RE)AHLEM programme invites clients to return worn frames to be restored, reimagined, or repurposed. Packaging is compostable. Production is monitored by the DRIRE, France's regional directorate for industry and environment.
Why AHLEM is a Consciously Selected Accessories Brand: CS Signal
CS Verified | Handcrafted in France and Japan by up to nine specialist artisans per frame. Plant-based Mazzucchelli acetate, non-toxic titanium, and recyclable lenses throughout. Zero waste policy on metals and acetates. (RE)AHLEM programme offers frame restoration and second life. Compostable packaging. Production governed by French environmental standards.
Frequently Asked Questions about AHLEM
Where are AHLEM frames made? AHLEM frames are handcrafted in Oyonnax, France and in Japan. Each frame passes through three specialised ateliers and is worked on by up to nine artisans, completing up to two hundred individual processes.
What materials does AHLEM use? AHLEM uses plant-based acetate from Mazzucchelli, a sixth-generation Italian producer, alongside naturally non-toxic titanium and lenses by French manufacturer Christian Dalloz. Neither metals nor acetates are discarded — both are recycled into new objects. Packaging is compostable.