Ashley Alarcon Launches Premium Eyewear Brand Mil101

London-based entrepreneur Ashley Alarcon has launched Mil101, a premium eyewear brand whose story begins behind the door of a humble family home in the capital city of La Paz in Bolivia.

In a world where heritage is often manufactured, where origin stories are sometimes crafted to create authenticity, Alarcon’s is the real deal: raised with his brother by their grandparents at Door Number 1101 on Calle Bolívar, the address became the inspiration for the brand’s name and ethos. In Spanish, ‘mil’ means one thousand, with Mil101 serving as a nod to the place where the journey first began.

“It’s where I started,” says Alarcon. “Everything I am today comes from the values I learned there.” That connection to Bolivia, in west-central South America, doesn’t end with the name: the Mil101 logo draws its unmistakable ‘M’ from Illimani, the mountain that has watched over La Paz for generations, becoming a quiet reminder of “strength, resilience and home.” And the collection carries those same sentiments—the designs are clean; the colours are confident; and individuality is the main focus. Just ask house ravers in London, Ibiza and Barcelona—these shades have become a must-have in the dance.

Although the family home was sold earlier this year, Alarcon believes its legacy lives on through every pair of Mil101s. The buzzing brand has become his way of carrying forward the values and the memories he holds close from there, while taking the story of Door Number 1101 from the streets of La Paz to the world.

Cop your pair of Mil101s from the brand’s webstore.