Alain Manoukian ( hy, Ալեն Մանուկյան, born 19 February 1946) is a French fashion designer and owner of the Manoukian fashion group. Manoukian began his career in the fashion industry in 1972. Established as a franchise in 1979, the company eventually opened 450 stores throughout the world, 300 of which are in France. After the Manoukian company was sold in 2005 to BCBG, Alain Manoukian now heads the Financiere Saxe development group based in France.

Early life

Alain Manoukian was born to

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

parents in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, France, on 19 February 1946. His grandparents, along with his father, arrived in France from

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

in 1927. The family was originally from Kharpert and during the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

, they were deported to Syria. During the deportations, Manoukian's father lost six siblings. The family managed to emigrate to France with the help of the

Nansen Passport Nansen passports, originally and officially stateless persons passports, were internationally recognized refugee travel documents from 1922 to 1938, first issued by the League of Nations's Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to stateles ...

. When living in Marseille, Manoukian's parents were involved with shoe-making.

Career

Alain Manoukian's first store was opened in 1972 with the help of his wife Danielle Manoukian. The store mostly featured sweater designs. In 1979, the company became a franchise and in 1984, it began to expand worldwide. In 1985, the company went public and was listed on the Lyon Stock Exchange. During the

1988 Armenian earthquake The 1988 Armenian earthquake, also known as the Spitak earthquake ( hy, Սպիտակի երկրաշարժ, ), occurred on December 7 at with a surface wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurre ...

, Manoukian was one of the first to send relief supplies. The relief supplies required four airplanes to have it delivered. In honor of his father, he sponsored the construction of an Armenian church next to

Lake Sevan Lake Sevan ( hy, Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich) is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, ...

. By 1990, the company eventually opened four-hundred fifty stores throughout the world, three hundred of which are in France and was worth $140 million. In 2001, Manoukian launched two websites which featured an e-commerce section that had in stock seven-hundred clothing items for sale. A year later, in 2002, the company started the Séda Manoukian brand which appeals to the youth market.

BCBG Max Azria Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a Tunisian-Jewish-born American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. Azria was also the designer, chairman and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Musta ...

Group, Inc. bought the company in August 2005 and introduced it to the American market. He now heads the Financiere Saxe group based in France. The group sponsors the renovations of major cities throughout the country. The group sponsored and financed a development project in the city of

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

on the boulevard du Jeu-de-Paume. His son David Manoukian is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of the luxury social network service

The Sphere ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Distinctions

Some of Alain Manoukian's distinctions include: * National Order of Merit *Chevalier of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

References

External links

Interview with Alain Manoukian on Shant TV Armenian (in Armenian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manoukian, Alain Living people Ethnic Armenian philanthropists Businesspeople from Marseille 21st-century French philanthropists French people of Armenian descent French fashion designers 1946 births Recipients of the Legion of Honour