To see. To be seen.
Alain Mikli eyewear is designed to see and be seen. Combining innovation and expertise, passion and provocation, style and flair, since 1978 the Parisian company has been unveiling both sunglasses and optical models created for those who seek individuality through sophisticated design, subtle details and signature motifs and colors.
In the ’90s, the brand took a new creative direction. Out with the swagger and show, replaced by a more classic, more portable and, above all, more technical product.
Alain Mikli and design legend Philippe Starck created Starck Eyes, a range of innovative, cutting-edge frames with unrivaled comfort and technology, which quickly conquered the optical market. All these collaborations, and those with artists such as Wim Wenders, Grace Jones, Elton John and Kanye West, have defined the aesthetic of Mikli eyewear over the decades. Bought out in 2012 by the EssilorLuxottica group, the master eyewear maker is now back at the creative helm.
“It’s not the crowd that interests me, but the individual. Their personality, expressions and features, as well as their lifestyle, profession and hobbies... A visit to Mikli means taking an hour out of your day. This is another way of making our customers understand that expertise is always a matter of detail.”
Correction & Distinction
At Alain Mikli, the optician’s craft is a meticulous art that guarantees customers a product combining unrivaled comfort and exceptional quality. However, the comfort of a pair of glasses is nothing without the perfect combination of lens and frame.
This fact is confirmed by the master eyewear maker: “Eyewear is a highly advanced medical product with the essential mission of improving the wearer’s visual performance.
We work with our lens partners Essilor and Shamir to offer the best optical solutions, combining the latest technological advances with quality service. The brand’s ultimate goal has always been to find the perfect balance, even if it means blurring codes... For example, I make glasses that are twice the weight of other, more classic models. Yet when customers try them on, they find them twice as light. Why? The work on the nose, the balance of the weight, the temples and the type of hinges... It’s all a question of overall know-how.”
For more than four decades, the designer has been committed to reading eyes without cheating. Just like this desire to defend each individual’s identity, as opposed to standardizing faces.