Makers, Not Labels — Volume I
Every Monday, I will publish a brand story.
I built Maison Orient on a simple belief: that local and independent brands deserve a place under the same spotlight as everyone else. Over many years of showroom visits, fashion weeks, research and brand applications landing in my inbox, I have discovered designers whose journeys only a handful of people has heard. Telling their stories is the greatest joy this job gives me, so a series here felt like the obvious next step.
Meet Le Sable. from Paris.
Le Sable. is a jewelry brand, created by Hala Doumal, who founded it in Paris. What she does is very special; she takes couture thinking and hands it to exceptional Italian craftsmanship, and what comes out are silhouettes that look effortless and land with real force.
Every piece starts as Hala's idea and is then handmade by a master artisan in Italy.
What made me fall for the brand is the music element in the creative process. Hala is a singer-songwriter and composer, and for each piece she writes an original soundtrack. The music sets the mood before the jewellery ever touches your skin, and it gives each collection its own unique tempo. I have never worked with a designer who builds a collection this way. Because if you think about it, music can be incredibly inspirational and can unlock your creative senses in an unusual way.
The shapes are different, but I think of each piece as a wearable pep talk, a small reminder that getting to be yourself is a privilege, and that you have your own soundtrack playing while you do it.
These are not pieces that disappear on you. They have a presence, and they ask for a little courage: the willingness to be that person in the room wearing the thing everyone notices. They also ask for an eye, because Le Sable. pieces do not follow the trends, so you have to trust your own taste rather than wait for permission. In my experience, the women who gravitate to this brand already know exactly who they are. The jewellery is not what makes them interesting, it is what makes a statement.
Hala works mindfully, in small quantities, because responsible production matters more to her than volume. Each jewel arrives nestled in a recycled cotton pouch, a promise to the planet and to you.
Shop Le Sable. at Maison Orient
With love,
Ayse
Makers, Not Labels is a weekly series on the independent designers behind Maison Orient. Meet all 39 of them on our designers page, or browse the full jewellery collection.