Akila opens flagship in New York and is eyeing international expansion

Independent eyewear brand Akila from Los Angeles, which focuses on handmade, limited-run eyewear has opened its first flagship in New York City.

Akila has chosen New York’s Lower East Side for its debut store in the city, for the neighbourhood's “rich and diverse history with the local art and music scenes,” as it looks to establish the brand on the East Coast of the US.

The New York flagship at 138 Ludlow Street will be more than a storefront, states Akila, as it will provide a community platform for exclusive launches, collaborations, and special projects.

The interior of the store reflects Akila’s design ethos, drawing inspiration from industrial aesthetics and international travel, with the layout featuring a vaulted luminous grid ceiling that curves seamlessly into a display wall for the brand’s sunglasses. The curves and grids are repeated in the perforated stainless steel record wall and tiled countertops offset by organic planted areas.

Akila founder and creative director Chris Mart said in the press release that the brand’s first flagship in New York is just the beginning, and he is looking to expand Akila’s retail footprint internationally, with the brand adding that it is eyeing Tokyo for its next location.