Manolo Blahnik is a name every shoe lover adores throughout the world. His name brings about thoughts of sexy, strappy sandals in all sorts of fancy designs. Come learn more about the man behind the designs that Madonna once described as being, "as good as sex."
Without the aid of apprentices or assistants, Manolo Blahnik produces the finest and sexiest footwear selections on the planet. Women everywhere adore his designs. His shoes are coveted by many, including supermodels and movie stars, as they are the shoes to wear if you want to be “in.” And who doesn’t want to be in? Blahnik’s designs complete ensembles, add tons of sex appeal and keep these shining stars in the hip and happening crowd.
Amazing Creations
Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, Manolo Blahnik’s amazing creations were known among the world of fashion elite and insiders. In the early 1990’s his name became known to the millions of viewers who tuned in regularly to the British TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous. His name and designs became even more well known in the late 1990’s thanks to the HBO Series Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe-obsessed character, columnist Carrie Bradshaw.
Carrie Bradshaw had her priorities straight in one episode of the series when she pleaded with a mugger: “You can take my Fendi baguette, you can take my ring and my watch, but don’t take my Manolo Blahnik’s.” Manolo’s shoes are stylish, handcrafted, expensive and undeniably an asset worth holding onto. Unfortunately Carrie Bradshaw did not get to hold onto her’s in this particular case.
Background of a Designer
Manolo Blahnik was born on November 28, 1942 in Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands, to a Czech father and a Spanish mother. He and his sister Evangelina grew up on the family’s banana plantation where they were home schooled. The Blahnik family frequently traveled to Madrid and Paris, where his mother bought clothes from her favorite designers while his father visited the tailors in those cities. Young Manolo grew used to the sight of beautiful clothes and enjoyed gazing at the designs in his mother’s fashion magazines. As well he received an early education in the art of shoemaking by observing his mother making her own footwear, using lace and ribbon. She was his first inspiration.
Blahnik’s parents hoped that their son would become a diplomat, but after only one semester at the University of Geneva studying politics and law, Manolo transferred into literature and architecture. In 1965, he relocated to Paris to study art and stage design at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Louvre Art School, during which time he also worked at a vintage clothing store near Saint German des Pres.
Blahnik moved to London in 1970, acting on his father’s suggestion that he should make an effort to improve his English. Once there he found work in a boutique, became a photographer for The Sunday Times, and quickly became part of the fashionable art scene.
His Start in Shoes
Although never formally trained in the craft of shoemaking, Manolo Blahnik has been creating the world’s most sought-after line of designer footwear for the past three decades. It was during a 1971 meeting with Diana Vreeland (then editor of U.S. Vogue) that Blahnik was persuaded to go into shoe design based solely on his imaginative (and highly creative) sketches. Wisely he took Vreeland’s advice and gradually learned the art of shoemaking. According to Blahnik, “I didn’t need it [formal training], because I’ve got the best taste in the world.”
He began designing shoes for men initially, at Zapata, a Chelsea boutique, but didn’t find it stimulating or challenging enough in a creative sense so he switched to women’s shoes. Within a year’s time, he was invited to collaborate with flamboyant fashion designer Ossie Clark, to prepare shoes for his runway show.
All the Rage
Within a short span of time, Blahnik’s footwear became all the rage. Fashion revue editors, hip, young actresses and socialites as well as Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall were after his shoes. With a small loan he bought out Zapata’s owner in 1973 and set up his own shop with his sister Evangelina. In 1974, he appeared alongside actress Angelica Huston on the cover of British Vogue, becoming the first man to do so.
Big Break in the U.S.
His big break into the U.S. market occurred in 1978 when he launched his collection for Bloomingdale’s. The following year he opened his first American shop on New York’s Madison Avenue. In 1980 he designed shoes for Perry Ellis. In the U.S. his sales began to soar after he hired George Malkemus, a copywriter in Bergdorf Goodman’s marketing department, to be his business partner in 1982. While Manolo and his sister remained in charge of the European side of the business, Malkemus renegotiated Blahnik’s existing U.S. distribution agreements.
Work with Big Designers
In 1984 Blahnik was invited to design shoes for Calvin Klein’s ready-to-wear collections. The experience taught him a great deal about designing shoes for a wider market. He collaborated with fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi in 1988. The very first Manolo Blahnik shoe store opened in Hong King in 1991.
The following year he created shoes for John Galliano’s signature label. Throughout the decade he continued to collaborate with top fashion designers, names like Bill Blass, Caroline Herrara and Oscar de la Renta, and in the year 1994, worked with all three of the big names. He reteamed with Galliano for Galliano’s first couture collection for Christian Dior in 1997.
Awards
In 2000 Manolo Blahnik received the Nieman Marcus Award while the following year he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from London’s Royal College of Arts and was also made an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry. Also in 2001 he received La Aguja de Oro (The Golden Needle) from Spain and the prestigious Medalla de Oro en Merito en Bellas Artes in 2002. In 2003, Blahnik became the first shoe designer to be honored with an exhibition at London’s Design Museum, which ran from February until May of that year.
According to Blahnik …
As Manolo Blahnik reveals, ‘his shoes are inspired by everything from films to architecture. Francois Tuffaut, Jean-Luc Goddard, and Pedro Almodovar are all acknowledged. Even the new Frank Gehry building warrants a mention.’ At the Design Museum Exhibition the 60-year-old Blahnik sits among a crowd of eager journalists and amidst the flash of bulbs jokingly exclaims, “This is torture!”
When asked what creations he would most love to concoct, Blahnik readily admits, “I would love to indulge myself with incredibly exaggerated designs, in silk and velvet lined with sable and God knows what.”
Despite his international acclaim, Blahnik still conscientiously crafts each individual shoe himself and every pair must live up to his high standards. Each shoe is designed to a European size 37 (or British size 5) and scaled to sizes 35-40.
Each season 250 prototypes are created in one of four small factories on the outskirts of Milan, but only an exclusive 85 styles are chosen to appear in each finished collection.
Manolo Blahnik has become known- and in a great deal of cases, worshipped- by millions of people. Madonna once called Blahnik’s designs, “as good as sex.” He currently resides in a Georgian home in Bath, England where he lives with a collection of somewhere in the area of 10,000 pairs of shoes. He jokingly refers to them as his “stupid shoes.”
As Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue Magazine observed: “If God had wanted us to wear flat shoes, he wouldn’t have invented Manolo Blahnik.”