PARIS IN CHARACTER

In his seminal 1958 work The Poetics of Space, French philosopher Gaston Bachelard made the then-revelatory connection between our physical spaces and our souls, describing the home as a cradle, fortress and kingdom all in one. “The house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace,” he wrote. Interludes of private introspection make us stronger, deeper, better defined—more ourselves—and fortify us for lives of action.

AHLEM Spring Summer 2025 respects this reciprocal relationship between interior depth and exterior force in a collection that integrates both in a single, unified experience. Addressing the rupture between authentic self and public mask, we weave memory, history and dreams into thirteen styles that restore vital connections and make room for individual interpretation. In these frames, intricate details enhance innovative concepts. Iconic shapes are rendered with vivid originality. Craft techniques recall a collective inheritance.

Originating from AHLEM’s home base of functional luxury that is both timeless and immediate, this season we also challenge ourselves by pushing into fresh territory, introducing new colors and combinations, new sizes and frame thicknesses. The idea is when you know yourself, you can carry that confidence with you out into the world. This is what we hope to bring to you with these frames — that, in the spirit of Bachelard, every time you put them on will be an act of homecoming.