Macron's glasses in Davos caused a surge in demand and a rise in the manufacturer's shares

The manufacturer of sunglasses worn by French President Emmanuel Macron at the World Economic Forum in Davos has seen a sharp increase in demand and share price, according to Reuters and The Guardian.

During his speech in Davos, Macron wore sunglasses from the French brand Maison Henry Jullien to hide a blood vessel rupture in one of his eyes. The president's unexpected look quickly went viral on social media, which directly affected the manufacturer's market performance.

The Italian company iVision Tech, which owns the Henry Jullien brand, said Macron wore the Pacific S 01 model, which costs €659 (about $770). After the wave of attention, iVision Tech's shares rose by almost 28%, adding around €3.5 million (approximately $4.1 million) to the company's market capitalisation.

Macron's image was actively discussed on social media, with memes being created and comparisons made to characters from the 1986 film Top Gun starring Tom Cruise. Even US President Donald Trump publicly expressed his opinion on the matter.

The French President's Office explained that the decision to wear sunglasses indoors was dictated by medical reasons — the need to protect his eye after a blood vessel rupture.

iVision Tech President Stefano Fulchir said he learned about the "presidential advertisement" from French opticians who began calling after Macron's speech. According to him, when the news became public, the company's website was unavailable for most of the day due to the influx of visitors.

Fulchier also noted that in 2024, representatives of Macron's office approached the company with a request to purchase Pacific S 01 Double Gold glasses as a diplomatic gift for the G20 summit, as well as a separate pair for the president himself. At the same time, Macron refused to accept the glasses as a gift and insisted on purchasing them himself, paying particular attention to the fact that the product was made entirely in France.

The Henry Jullien brand, founded in 1921 in the Jura department in eastern France, has specialised in the manufacture of optics for over 100 years. The company was acquired by iVision Tech in 2023. According to Fulchier, the factory in Lon-le-Sonier employs a team of 10 people who produce about 1,000 such glasses each year.

The glasses are assembled by hand using an "ancient technique" in which gold is not sprayed on but mechanically fixed to the metal, which increases the strength of the product. The blue UV lenses are manufactured by Dalloz, also located in the Jura region.

According to the president of iVision Tech, Henry Jullien sunglasses are sold in opticians around the world, including Ukraine, but the company does not yet have a distributor in the United Kingdom.

Emmanuel Macron, Davos, sunglasses, Henry Jullien, iVision Tech