Eyestylist

Eyestylist Exclusive – Special content x Eyestylist 15th anniversary – a conversation with Mike Makras

Makras Optical in Brisbane is the latest optical project by Mike Makras, one of Australia’s leading optometrists + luxury eyewear retailers with expertise in curating some of the finest contemporary eyewear collections from around the world. Eyestylist first spoke to Mike in 2011 about one of his award-winning OPTIKO stores at 215 Queen Street, an eyewear destination which set the bar high with its exclusive atmosphere and focus on exclusive and even rare vintage eyewear design (https://www.eyestylist.com/2011/08/optiko-brisbane/). In 2026, Mike expresses the same commitment to client service and optical excellence with a continued passion for eyewear curation and unique design, in a completely new architect-designed contemporary setting – the store is located on James Street where one of the OPTIKO stores was operating back in 2012.

Mike, it’s great to reconnect after featuring your store OPTIKO in August 2011. Thanks for getting in touch and tell us more about your latest project? After selling my previous 2 stores (OPTIKO) to a group and finishing my 3-year contract with them, I realised that there is a real lack of genuine small independent owned eyewear stores. The general public often assume certain practices are independent when, often in reality many are owned by large corporate groups. The level of care and personal attention a client receives in an independent practice can easily far exceed anything in a corporate setting. Community engagement is incredibly important, you have to be present and connected to the community around you. For me independence allows that. Small can be incredibly powerful. In many ways I think small is the future.

Explain the interior concept in a few sentences and highlight what you really wanted to achieve in this new project. I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to re-open in one of my original OPTIKO spaces, when it became available again. That felt quite special. We kept the basic bones, but wanted to reinterpret it in a more mature and considered way. The brief to the architects – Richards & Spence (www.richardsandspence.com) – was simple. “Make the eyewear the hero.”

So the architect wrapped the entire store in a high linen curtain, which softens the space and creates a sense of quiet enclosure. The floors are finished in a mushroom coloured wool carpet and the reception desk is formed from a huge slab of muted pink and grey Patagonian stone that sits somewhere between quartz and granite, anchoring the space. Above: the interior of Makras Optical – in a gallery-like atmosphere, the eyewear is placed in transparent displays, which highlight the designs and colours

In contrast the exam room is painted in an almost hyper-clinical “Severance” blue….admittedly I am obsessed with the show! I intentionally wanted the showroom and the clinical spaces to feel quite different, as their purposes are incredibly different. I love that contrast.

How have you created complimentary spaces for dispensing/styling and eye testing this time around? We introduced internal curtains within the showroom to create two separate dispensing areas. These allow for more intimate one on one consults. At the same time the curtains can be easily drawn back so the entire space opens up for client events (product launches, trunk shows etc) so the space is super flexible.

What has changed since you created OPTIKO ? What is different about curating collections now compared to in 2011? The customer today is far more informed and sophisticated and people have access to an enormous amount of information online, so transparency has become essential.  What hasn’t changed though, is the value of converstaion and connection, taking the time to talk about the story behind the brand, the craft involved in building a frame, or the technicality of different lens designs and coatings. That dialogue is part of the experience for us.

Can you give us a taste of the independent brands/collections you are offering in store and how you curated these to achieve the ideal offer for your new store? For my customer I find it works best to have a spectrum from super classic and timeless, through to pieces that are unapologically avante-garde. But getting that balance right is crucial. The line up is always evolving; some of our current brands are: Thom Browne, Lapima, Cutler and Gross, Garrett Leight, Veronika Wildgruber, Anne & Valentin, Yoshinori Aoyama, Voa Collective…with more to come. So the collection is always shifting and evolving. That’s part of the fun.

What’s next Mike? The store is still quite young – less than 12 months old – so right now I’m simply enjoying watching it grow organically. I’m happy to let it evolve slowly and see where it goes. For me this feels like coming back to what I was meant to do.

Makras Optical, 9-19 James St, Fortitude Valley, 4006

An interview by Clodagh Norton / March 2026. All rights reserved.