Bond Girl

Bond 07 by Selima, New York

OWNER: Selima Salaun; URL: selimaoptique.com; FOUNDED: 1993; OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 1998; EMPLOYEES: 18 full-time, 2 part-time; AREA: 1,600 square feet; TOP BRANDS: Selima Optique, Ottomila 8000, Megane & Me, Groover Spectacles, Smoke & Mirrors;FACEBOOK: facebook.com/Bond07bySelima; INSTAGRAM: @selimaoptique; YELP: yelp.com/biz/bond-07-new-york

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A NATIVE OF THE French Riviera, Selima Salaun began her career working for luxury frame designers in Europe before moving to New York to manage the Alain Mikli boutique. She opened her first retail boutique in New York’s SoHo district in 1993, and quickly established it as a hot spot for creative personalities, who were drawn to the handmade craftsmanship of her Selima Optique frames. Her ability to customize frames into unique pieces, and her equally unique personality (anyone who has had the opportunity to interact with Salaun knows she’s one of the great personalities of the optical world), have become highly valued and made her, among other things, something of an ECP-to-the-stars.

Both a trained OD and a licensed optician, Salaun credits much of what she’s achieved to her French schooling. Going to school in Morez, the “optical capital of France,” she was required to learn “everything from design to doing eye exams, lens cutting, soldering — I really mean everything.”

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When she moved to Manhattan, she soon developed an obsession for SoHo, which was then the epicenter of art and culture. “Walking around I found this stunning store for rent. It was derelict but my husband Jean-Marie totally renovated it and made it the jewel it is today.” The keys to a good location, she says, are “Atmosphere, ambiance, fun neighbors. It’s about a feeling.” So far, she’s found that feeling in six locations: four in NYC, one in Santa Monica, CA, and one in the Place des Vosges in Paris. It was in 1998 that she ventured north of Houston St. to open Bond 07 by Selima. This is a true NoHo boutique, with the eyewear displayed largely by aesthetic, color or theme, much of it in small brightly hued trunk cases stacked on antique wooden tables, and in retro glass cabinets. Fun, colorful eyewear-related artwork adorns the walls and thoughtfully curated window displays.

Bond 07 is a key outlet for Salaun’s passion for vintage styles. (This goes beyond the eyewear: In among the Marc Jacobs shoes, Balenciaga dresses and even brightly colored tableware, advertised on the store’s Facebook page recently were a vintage Gucci leather jacket and a vintage Christian Dior set once worn by Gladys Knight.) The store holds a large vintage eyewear archive along with contemporary lines. Her own brand, Selima Optique, is largely inspired by styles originating from sources in fashion and cinema, but she says her greatest source of inspiration has always been her daily interaction with clients.

Rounding out the service is a part-time OD in Salaun’s SoHo store; Selima also has her own lab.

Entering Bond 07, a customer can be in little doubt that the eyewear selection is going to be part of a broader fashion experience, though Salaun acknowledges that most of the store’s clients are already, in her words, “eyewear fanatics” who are looking for a new, unique pair of frames. “When working with customers,” she says, “you start to develop a psychological understanding of their character and personality. It almost turns you into a therapist in some ways, as you grow closer with them and they start to feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts. This is a very important and valuable characteristic of developing strong relationships that last beyond the store itself.”

Illustrating this, most of the frames created for the Selima Optique brand are named after Salaun’s friends, colleagues, and clients. “Every frame has a history,” she says. “Most employees who have worked at Selima Optique have a frame named after them.” Salaun’s fashion cred is part of her brand; the possibility that a trip to Bond 07 could get you styled by Salaun herself is held out as a genuine selling point.

Selima Optique’s online store is, unsurprisingly, a prominent feature of the website, but Salaun is still a firm believer in the idea that online plays a supporting role. Asked if she sees online sales as a must, she says, “As a designer, absolutely, but as an ECP, not really. Bricks and mortar are very important.”

Ultimately, Bond 07 is a celebration of creativity, but Salaun sees this as a two-way process: “Many times, our customers inspire us as much as we hope our creativity inspires them!”

PHOTO GALLERY (14 IMAGES)

Five Cool Things About Bond 07 by Selima

1. WHO LET THE…? “We have seven dogs running around to entertain our customers and clients,” Salaun boasts.

2. MAKEOVER Bond 07 has its own hair salon, located inside the store — Suite 303.

3. MODEL NEIGHBOR Salaun occasionally has to wade through the paparazzi scrum outside the home of Gigi Hadid, who lives directly opposite. Though her frames have appeared in so many fashion editorials, they may very well be there for her.

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4. MONEY SPINNER During a recent holiday season, Bond 07 put out a spinning wheel; with every sale, the customers got a spin of the wheel, determining a free gift ranging from a free tote bag to a frame.

5. MUSIC TO MY EYES Selima Optique, Salaun’s eyewear brand, has its very own entry in Gagapedia, the “free online encyclopedia on everything Gaga.”