Alain Mikli

Alain Mikli (born Alain Miklitarian in Beirut, Lebanon on April 1, 1955) is a French designer of the elite handmade sunglasses and ophthalmic frames.

Mikli was already seventeen when he began studying ophthalmology. When he wasn't in class, his fingers were busy moulding plastic frames. Mikli's gaze took on a different cast, keenly absorbing the material's possibilities. Very soon afterwards, he realized his ambition was to design glasses.

Alain remained true to his dream. Glasses were like a foetus growing in his imagination. Idealistic and dogged, nonchalant and stubborn, Mikli created his first prototype when he was still in his teens.

In 1978, with his optician diploma still fresh in his pocket, twenty-three year-old Alain founded his company: Mikli Diffusion. With so much to learn about the manufacture and marketing of his products, his working days ran from early in the morning to late at night.

By 1982, Alain was already well on his way to turning his name into an international export. He had just won his first order from a Japanese client and had negotiated a deal to sell the surplus from his previous year's collection — at a tidy profit — to a Canadian optician, now a treasured friend and long-time client. There was no denying Mikli's audacity or, for that matter, his business sense.Very quickly, Alain Mikli the self-taught businessman and visionary designer established the pedigree of glasses. His art made a prosthesis into something that was as much an object to see with as a fashion accessory to be seen in. All of the greats of show business had been won over by the Mikli style and concept. In 1983, Elton John wore a pair of Mikli glasses in public for the first time. These sent out a ripple of excitement through the fashion world and revolutionized eyeglass design. Alain's greatest dream had finally come true!Over three decades later, Alain Mikli has two stores in Paris, one in Dusseldorf, another in New York and three in Tokyo.

Around a million pairs of Mikli glasses have been sold around the world.

Alain Mikli Frames

Alain Mikli Sunglasses