France
Macron’s sunglasses spark hype about luxury model
Updated on January 21, 2026 – 7:31 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Trump scoffs, but the manufacturer rubs its hands: the fuss over Macron’s appearance with aviator sunglasses continues. And France is debating whether Macron looks cool or crazy with glasses.
French head of state Emmanuel Macron earned ridicule from US President Donald Trump with his sunglasses worn at the lectern at the World Economic Forum. Many newspapers, however, put a photo of Macron in aviator sunglasses – which he wore because of an eye infection – on the front page. And the small French manufacturer of luxury glasses can hardly save itself from inquiries. The online shop of the Henry Jullien brand was temporarily no longer accessible at all.
“Our friends and customers have started asking us if these are our glasses, that makes us really proud,” Stefano Fulchir, the boss of iVision Tech, the eyewear brand’s Italian parent company, told broadcaster RTL. Hundreds of emails and inquiries have already been received. “On average, we produce 100 of these Pacific models annually, but given the amount of attention they receive, we may need to produce 1,000 this year. We already have customers asking for the same model,” Fulchir said. The Henry Jullien brand is already advertising the model on Instagram with a photo that shows Macron wearing the glasses in Davos, priced at 659 euros.
“I saw him yesterday with these beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” Trump said in his speech in Davos about Macron’s appearance the day before with the glasses. Some people in France joked that Macron wanted to look like Tom Cruise, who wore similar glasses in the film “Top Gun.”
The newspaper “Le Figaro”, which provided detailed information about Macron’s glasses model, also received critical comments. “No, who does he think he is? He seems completely crazy,” reacted one reader. “Glasses don’t make a great man,” said another. “Is he hoping to regain international prominence by playing the clown?” asked another reader. There was also the suggestion that Macron should have worn an eye patch.
