Alain Mikli, 56, is not just the most famous eyewear designer in the world — he invented the job description. Mikli was the first person to achieve worldwide success as a designer of nothing else but eyeglasses. He established his own brand in Paris in 1978 and pioneered the idea of wearing frames as accessories. In the early 1980s, Elton John was one of the first celebrities to fall in love with his designs, and soon Mikli's creations won over his competition, with the biggest names in fashion — Claude Montana, Jil Sander, Issey Miyake and Donna Karan — queuing up to have him design their eyewear lines. Mikli's iconic shutter shades, a unique slatted frame he designed in the '80s, have been copied around the world. Still popular as ever, Kanye West wore a pair of original Mikli shutter shades in his 2007 music video "Stronger." Although Mikli's frames lack a visible logo, they are recognizable in the blink of an eye — and now he offers his unique designs in 45 shops in 10 countries.
Putting on a pair of glasses is faster than makeup and easier than plastic surgery, yet the effect can be just as dramatic. One can play and hide behind glasses. I design for the wearer as well as for the viewer, to bring pleasure to their lives.
When you do something new, it has to age a bit before people start trying it and liking it. Sort of like wine. You just hope your thing — or you — doesn't get too old before you succeed. In the early '80s, I drove around Japan with my friend Philippe in a Honda City two-door convertible. We had our glasses in suitcases that were so huge we had to keep the roof open. When we saw a store, we'd stop. We dragged the suitcases out and made a presentation to the opticians. "Wow, how unique! Good luck" — though the opticians liked them and appreciated the French craftsmanship, not one of them bought any. It was the bubble, everything was new — but we were too new. Back then, many people were riding the market bubble, but not everyone was popping Champagne. We weren't, that's for sure.