Alain Manoukian (, 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 around the ...

parents in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

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

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in 1927. The family was originally from

Kharpert Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harput ...

and during the

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

, 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 (), occurred on December 7 at with a surface-wave magnitude of 6.8 and a maximum MSK intensity of X (''Devastating''). The shock occurred in the northern region of Armenia (then ...

, 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 () is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater Alpine lake, high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of abov ...

. 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 French-American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. He was also the designer, chairman, and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Mustafa, Nadia (Fall 2 ...

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 (; ) 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 France, department 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.

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 ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

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