Two years ago at another product launch in Beijing, Lau reportedly ticked off Mikli when his hands wandered over her waist. By all accounts, Lau worked wonders for his jet lag this time around too, much to the delight of the local press.

Mikli's presence is undeniable. Tall and burly with a grey goatee beard and contrasting dark ponytail, he's quick to charm everyone in his orbit, from the waitress to his own assistant. But he hates being interviewed. It makes him uncomfortable, he says, arms folded defensively across his chest - surprising, really, for someone who should be used to it by now, and who is famously forward with the ladies.

Once he warms up, he projects a wicked sense of mischief, even from behind half-closed eyes and bold black and white acetate spectacles perched atop a rather generous nez.

'I love my nose,' he says, uncrossing his arms to touch it gently, as if examining a rare, slightly crooked artefact. 'I need to since my business is glasses. It is very practical, especially for my frames. When I wear glasses, women don't see my real nose. When I take them off they can see it. And it's a good thing to see.'

His reference here to 'women' as opposed to 'people' appears to be part of a carefully crafted sexual image that presumably transcends through his name to his product. For Mikli knows only too well that he sells sexuality. He's selling it through his sensual designs, he's selling it via the narrow vertical eye above his stores, and he's selling it sitting across from me as the devil in him comes to life.

Mikli's frames are loved by anyone who's anyone - including Elton John, U2 frontman Bono and actress Sharon Stone, to name a few. But when asked about his celebrity clientele all he does is shrug. 'Who cares if Elton John wears my glasses?' he says. 'It's nice that they wear my product, but it means more to them than me because they need to look stylish.'

Mikli's nonchalance is beguiling rather than offensive, and you sense it's all for effect. In the world of designers, Elton John donning your glasses is like Angelina Jolie wearing your lipstick, but if the big man says he's not bothered, so be it.

Mikli has an unfortunate habit of saying things like: 'My glasses are the frame to see with and the frame to be seen in,' and: 'I do it by pleasure for pleasure. When you think like that, you don't care.' Such utterances would sound pretentious if not for the French accent and the glint in his eye.

But when he speaks it's obvious that the passion for his craft is the main reason for his company's success. Not that he's bothered, of course.

'It wouldn't matter if I was or wasn't successful,' he says. 'I always said that from the beginning. If you love doing something you will always find someone who appreciates it. And you will also find someone who wants to help you continue doing what you are doing.'

After training as an optometrist at a school near his home in Paris, Mikli spent a brief tenure in the business before realising his future lay not with correcting people's vision, but altering their image.

In 1978, he launched his first collection of designer eyewear and instantly found his own revolutionary style, deciding glasses need not be boring. 'I've always had a creative eye,' he says. 'I found eyewear by accident and after I learnt the trade I was addicted. It would be difficult for me to do something else now.'

Today, the Alain Mikli empire sells more than 500,000 pairs annually, while Mikli and his team churn out more than 300 styles a year. Much of the brand's appeal is because his products bear his own personality - they are cool without broadcasting it. He doesn't follow trends and doesn't believe in branding, which is why his name is not visible on any of his designs.

Not that he's averse to collaborating with industry peers on high-profile and media-worthy projects. Creative partnerships have resulted in avant-garde collections including Starck Eyes (a partnership with interior designer Philippe Starck) and Issey Miyake (a collectors' line, co-designed with the Japanese fashion designer).

And lest we forget Miklivision, a project inspired by Bono, who asked Mikli to create spectacles with a built-in video camera for hassle-free filming - and which sell for US$8,500 a pop.

'I will still collaborate with people who I like to work with,' he says. 'In our industry, all eyewear companies have to do licensing with someone they don't know or like. I don't like to do that. I keep my own sensibility and own brand. Because of that I don't need anyone else.'

Mikli says he draws much inspiration from his country's vineyards. 'My inspiration is always from wine,' he says. 'I love to drink Cote du Rhone. It doesn't need to be expensive as long as it is good, like everything.

'I love wine, but not Chinese wines,' he says. 'After a few glasses you're spinning - that's when it all begins to flow.'

His highly sought after PACT collection, first launched last November in Europe, has 118 styles in his signature rectangular shapes, all handmade in France in patterns of black acetate and crystal. He's also added several pairs of sunglasses to the line, ranging form Jackie O styles to wider, slimmer frames.

'PACT is about two extreme colours,' Mikli says. 'Black is very classic and trendy. Crystal is the opposite. They are perfect when put together.'

The Frenchman oversees a team of five Paris-based designers that has created a worldwide market with annual sales of US$50 million, and boutiques in Paris, New York and Helsinki. He first set up an office in Hong Kong in 2001 and opened a boutique in Wellington Street a year later. He also has boutiques in Tokyo and Shanghai, and recognises Asia as his most important emerging market.

'I would like to open more boutiques, in Hong Kong and Taipei,' he says. 'There is so much potential here, but it is very different to Europe. In Asia there are so many people, so it would be silly to ignore the market. But it's not a question of potential only. It's whether or not you like the place, and I love Asia.'

Asians, he says, love to express themselves through fashion more than Europeans. 'They are curious and more experimental. In Europe they are more conservative. And my glasses are not conservative.'

Building the Mikli empire hasn't come without personal sacrifices, although he refuses to elaborate what they might be. 'I've made a lot of sacrifices. I wouldn't sacrifice my personal life for the business if I had to do it again. Because when you are so focused you miss out on other parts of life. I would do it again, but in a different way.

'I hope I can still be good at my business for 10 to 15 more years. I don't know if I have enough time to do all the things I want. But I will try.'