PARIS — Ahlem is turning to one of eyewear’s oldest materials to write its next chapter, which includes a trio of store openings in New York, Tokyo and Paris.

The independent luxury brand founded by Ahlem Manai-Platt is introducing bronze in its frames. Or more accurately, she is bringing back this metal alloy once central to eyewear.

“It was particularly used in France and it’s a Franco-French know-how so that’s why it was interesting,” the founder and creative director told WWD. “But it stopped because it was rather difficult to use.”

The idea of reviving bronze for eyewear tickled her all the more because she felt that the “heart of her profession is leveraging French know-how,” making it a more brand-coherent choice than titanium, which is usually made in Japan for eyewear.

But the hurdle was that bronzeworking techniques in eyewear had effectively gone dormant.

Fortunately for Manai-Platt, the craftspeople Ahlem works with are “Meilleur Ouvrier de France,” a distinction that loosely translates to “finest artisan of France” and means “they know the craft even if no one has been asking for them,” she said.

Nickel-free, bronze fits the bill for skin compatibility while taking particularly well to plating, as evidenced by its sustained use in jewelry through the centuries.

Still, development took two-and-a-half years to use bronze for the temples, starting from the elaboration of the alloy and design of new models to extensive laboratory testing that included extreme oxidation simulations — “as if we’d thrown the glasses into the ocean and left them there for 24 months,” she noted.

Ahlem frames were already made from a nickel-free metal alloy with a 3-micron gold or palladium plating, but bronze also addressed a creative desire the founder had.

“It allowed us to develop much more architectural and sculptural pieces,” she said, describing how the material’s density and rigidity led to new volumes and lines. It also opened options for finishes such as laser-engraved filigree motifs, hand-hammered beveled surfaces and combination polishes. Faces remain in the same plated metal as previously, better suited for working on a curve.

The new-to-Ahlem material’s heavier mass also moves the weight repartition of the frame backward, improving long-term comfort, particularly for daily wear. That’s an “innovation that no one sees” other than the frame-makers, as Manai-Platt put it. “But the client will notice almost subconsciously the comfort that we’re bringing — and are the only ones in the world to offer with bronze.”

Such an approach has served Ahlem well so far. The 12-year-old company, which manufactures its small-batch collections in France and counts around 900 wholesale doors worldwide, is seeing 35 percent year-over-year growth.

Although Manai-Platt declined to share revenue figures of the privately owned company, she said wholesale was up around 20 percent and headcount had grown to 65 worldwide.

Asked how Ahlem has navigated choppy times for the luxury sector, she attributed the company’s continuing success to its “extremely organic” trajectory and the idea that glasses are now “part of the style, the presence, the physique, the signature” of a person.

But the company’s biggest asset continues to be what she called “the intrinsic qualities” of the brand.

“We do very comfortable, lasting, beautiful eyewear for people, with a passion for what we do and an image that is moderate,” she said. “One where luxury isn’t about being ostentatious — in terms of design or prices.”

The new bronze frames, which have been teased at selected Ahlem stores, will be front and center at the Silmo eyewear trade show, running Sep. 25 to 28 at the Villepinte exhibition center outside of Paris. Nine new frames with bronze temples, with three colors of metal, will join the rest of the brand’s overall 550 references.

On the retail side, Ahlem will also be stepping up its openings, as announced following last year’s minority investment from 1686 Partners, a fund launched in 2023 by David Wertheimer with a focus on high-end lifestyle labels.

First is the early September opening of its Meatpacking District address in New York, its second in the city and the largest store in the U.S. at 970 square feet.

Next will be its first flagship in Asia, with an 860-square-foot store opening in early October in Tokyo’s Minami-Aoyama design-heavy district, which will be opposite the Nezu Museum and its famous gardens.

“It’s an extremely important step for us,” the founder said. “It’s an extremely loyal market since the beginning.”

Japan is a market where the brand has worked with distributors since its inception 12 years ago and which is among its top three markets, alongside the U.S. and France.

Paris, which is the birth city of Manai-Platt, will get a second Ahlem outpost later in October, this time in the Haut Marais area.

By the end of the year, the company expects to operate a total of eight boutiques in its own name, all with its full-service approach that includes same-day prescription, on-site opticians and a growing bespoke program that launched in 2024.

“Bringing bronze back and opening three new addresses are all about the same ambition,” said Manai-Platt. “Growing a brand built on true expertise that continues to evolve while remaining deeply faithful to itself.”