Although founded in Los Angeles in 2018 by seasoned designer Chris Mart, eyewear brand AKILA‘s first standalone store opened its doors four years later in New York City. But now, Mart has set the record straight, opening at long last, a retail space at his home base. The AKILA store occupies a lofty unit on the ground floor of a fully restored and redeveloped Art Deco-style car body shop built in 1932, which has now been baptised Sunset Row, and is flanked by boutiques of leading lifestyle brands, such as New Balance, (malin+goetz), and Sunspel. Similar to the brand’s Lower East Side store, the home base retail space is design-led, courtesy of its in-house design team and local design practice 22RE. The chosen aesthetic takes ample cues from traditional Japanese ryokans, and features an infusion of locally sourced light Douglas fir timber, paired with metal and glass elements.

The design has been meticulously adapted to the unit’s dimensions, and more specifically, its vaulted ceiling. Upon entering the AKILA store, shoppers are met by two elongated timber-and-glass blocks display tables, flanked on both sides by a perfectly symmetrical configuration of shelving, storage, large embedded mirrors, and even a JBL speaker system. A cross truss spans across the premises, allowing the installation of a large central light fixture which corresponds with seamlessly corresponds with curved equivalents at the far end of the AKILA store. Mind you, the light fixtures tie in with the glass block displays, and are a nod to traditional washi paper-clad shoji doors. Additional furnishings comprise a circular concrete bench and a sleek metal sales counter. The new AKILA store stocks the brand’s full range of sunglasses, optical frames and concise objects collection. © superfuture.com