Alain Mikli eyeglasses and sunglasses leave no one feeling indifferent. They are luxurious "sculpted" eyeglasses that reveal each individual's personality.

These frames also challenge the widespread tendency to hide behind eyewear.

In 1978, Paris-based Alain Mikli shook up the traditional optical industry, creating glasses that were aesthetic and functional, creative and technically advanced. His objective was to turn a handicap into a fashion statement, a vision aid into an accessory.

These glasses gained attention as highly graphic objects. The main materials-metal, acetate and titanium-available in a continuously updated color range, are fashioned into different variations of the rectangle, the shape that has become characteristic of Mikli, as well as other avant-garde shapes.

"In the beginning, I created wild models with an individual's look in mind," says Alain Mikli. "I've always been attracted to the theatrical side of fashion: frames to see as well as to be seen. Now, I'm concentrating on detail and the intimate side of eyewear to achieve maximum comfort and a close relationship between the frame and the person wearing it."

Mikli's mastery of his craft includes ergonomics. "What is making me progress," Alain Mikli adds, "is technology. Now I can take my ideas through to their conclusion, with a perfect balance between the side-pieces, the front, and the sides."