French President Emmanuel Macron's aviator sunglasses at the Davos has become the talking point on social media and has captured the internet's attention. The French president's appearance in dark, reflective Top Gun-style aviator sunglasses launched a series of memes, pithy jokes and questions. Had he been hurt while sparring in the boxing ring? Had he picked up an injury during a workout at the gym? Or, as some speculated, did he simply want to avoid meeting Donald Trump’s gaze? French media reported that Macron wore the striking pair of blue reflective aviator sunglasses indoors due to an ongoing medical condition. Addressing leaders at the World Economic Forum, Macron drew attention for his stern rebuke of US President Donald Trump's threat to tariff eight European countries opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland.
Emmanuel Macron’s eye injury in Switzerland also moved markets, propelling an obscure Italian eyewear stock into the spotlight, lifting its value by nearly 30% in a matter of days. The shares of aviator sunglasses maker iVision Tech were almost 28 percent higher on Thursday after the French president's look during his speech at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos went viral online. The group, which owns French high-end eyewear brand Henry Jullien, said on Wednesday that the model worn by Macron was its Pacific S 01, with a price tag of 659 euros ($770 or Rs 70,884) on its website.
This "certainly created a wow effect on the stock", iVision Tech CEO Stefano Fulchir told Reuters. The share rally has added around 3.5 million euros ($4.1 million) to the Italian company's market capitalisation.
ALSO READ: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis calls ChatGPT ads ‘premature,’ takes subtle swipe at Sam Altman
Macron's office said that the choice to wear sunglasses during his speech, which took place indoors, was to protect his eyes because of a burst blood vessel, according to BBC. French reports said that Macron appeared to have a sub-conjunctival haemorrhage, which is a broken blood vessel in his eye.
Communication specialist Philippe Moreau Chevrolet, saw the president’s decision to wear the French-made eyewear as symbolic in the context of France’s strained relations with the US, according to The Guardian.
ALSO READ: Massive Deloitte workforce shake-up coming soon: Big Four firm to change job titles for over 1,80,000 employees in US. Check details
Macron’s office had contacted the company in 2024 to buy a pair of €659 Pacific S 01 Double Gold sunglasses as a diplomatic gift during the G20 summit and a second pair for himself, he said. “I said I would be happy to send him a pair but they said no. He did not accept them as a gift, but wanted to purchase them personally. The French president paid a lot of attention to whether the glasses were entirely made in France.”
The glasses are hand-assembled using what iVision describes as an “ancient technique,” in which gold is bonded to the base metal rather than plated, making the frames more durable. The blue-tinted UV lenses are manufactured by Dalloz, another company based in the Jura region.
ALSO READ: He worked with leading MNCs but quit his high-paying job to become an auto-rickshaw driver. The story of Rakesh Pal's journey everyone must read
Onstage during his speech, Trump even joked at his onetime handshake-rival‘s new look: “I watched him yesterday with his beautiful sunglasses. I said, ‘What the hell happened?’” Trump later went on a tangent about Macron’s approach to drug-price policy before adding, “I actually like him. I do.”
Commentators have suggested that the sunglasses lend extra bite to his tough messaging toward Washington and reinforce his broader geopolitical stance, casting him as a more rebellious and confrontational figure.
Emmanuel Macron’s eye injury in Switzerland also moved markets, propelling an obscure Italian eyewear stock into the spotlight, lifting its value by nearly 30% in a matter of days. The shares of aviator sunglasses maker iVision Tech were almost 28 percent higher on Thursday after the French president's look during his speech at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos went viral online. The group, which owns French high-end eyewear brand Henry Jullien, said on Wednesday that the model worn by Macron was its Pacific S 01, with a price tag of 659 euros ($770 or Rs 70,884) on its website.
This "certainly created a wow effect on the stock", iVision Tech CEO Stefano Fulchir told Reuters. The share rally has added around 3.5 million euros ($4.1 million) to the Italian company's market capitalisation.
ALSO READ: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis calls ChatGPT ads ‘premature,’ takes subtle swipe at Sam Altman
Macron's aviator sunglasses steal the spotlight
Macron's aviator sunglasses stole the spotlight at the Davos as social media users debated his choice of a 'Top Gun' look. The French President wore the dark, reflective sunglasses which French luxury eyewear brand Henry Jullien said it had gifted to him in 2024.Macron's office said that the choice to wear sunglasses during his speech, which took place indoors, was to protect his eyes because of a burst blood vessel, according to BBC. French reports said that Macron appeared to have a sub-conjunctival haemorrhage, which is a broken blood vessel in his eye.
Communication specialist Philippe Moreau Chevrolet, saw the president’s decision to wear the French-made eyewear as symbolic in the context of France’s strained relations with the US, according to The Guardian.
ALSO READ: Massive Deloitte workforce shake-up coming soon: Big Four firm to change job titles for over 1,80,000 employees in US. Check details
'Company's website crashed for a day'
Stefano Fulchir, the president of iVision Tech, the Italian company that owns Henry Jullien, told The Guardian the first he knew of the presidential endorsement was when French opticians rang him to say: “The president’s wearing our glasses!” When news spread, the company website crashed for most of the day. “My first reaction can be summed up in three letters: wow! It has not been a typical day. I feel very honoured that the president is wearing our glasses,” he said.Macron’s office had contacted the company in 2024 to buy a pair of €659 Pacific S 01 Double Gold sunglasses as a diplomatic gift during the G20 summit and a second pair for himself, he said. “I said I would be happy to send him a pair but they said no. He did not accept them as a gift, but wanted to purchase them personally. The French president paid a lot of attention to whether the glasses were entirely made in France.”
The glasses are hand-assembled using what iVision describes as an “ancient technique,” in which gold is bonded to the base metal rather than plated, making the frames more durable. The blue-tinted UV lenses are manufactured by Dalloz, another company based in the Jura region.
ALSO READ: He worked with leading MNCs but quit his high-paying job to become an auto-rickshaw driver. The story of Rakesh Pal's journey everyone must read
Top Gun meme
References to the 1986 Top Gun starring Tom Cruise were all over social media. The look of Macron, strikingly reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s fighter-pilot persona in the 1986 film Top Gun, quickly dominated coverage and went viral in no time. Clips and images of the French president in the mirrored glasses spread rapidly on X, Instagram, TikTok, and news sites, with memes and side‑by‑side comparisons.Onstage during his speech, Trump even joked at his onetime handshake-rival‘s new look: “I watched him yesterday with his beautiful sunglasses. I said, ‘What the hell happened?’” Trump later went on a tangent about Macron’s approach to drug-price policy before adding, “I actually like him. I do.”
Commentators have suggested that the sunglasses lend extra bite to his tough messaging toward Washington and reinforce his broader geopolitical stance, casting him as a more rebellious and confrontational figure.
