Diana Vreeland

Manolo Blahník never intended to work with shoes at all. After studying in Geneva, Paris and London, Manolo had dreams of designing sets for the theatre. On his first visit to New York City in the late ‘60s, Blahník’s dear friend Paloma Picasso arranged for him to meet legendary Vogue editor, Diana Vreeland. “I was exceedingly nervous,” says Manolo, “so speechless... I could barely utter a word”. Manolo had no need to worry – Vreeland took one look at his fantastical sketches for ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream,’ zeroed in on Hippolyta’s sandal decorated with ivy and cherries, and told him: “Focus on extremities, young man! Do shoes!” Discover more about this serendipitous moment in The Friendships.

Upon returning to England, Manolo was committed to honing the craft of shoemaking. He studied at the source by visiting artisans in the best shoe factories in England, and later, in his beloved Italian factories.

London

Manolo founded his eponymous label in 1970, taking over the boutique on Old Church Street in the London borough of Chelsea.

Surrounded by a community of artistic talent, Manolo hardly ever left his shop. It became a meeting place for the who’s who of London’s social scene. His magnetic personality created a vibrant atmosphere for customers and close friends, including Anna Wintour, Michael Roberts, Bianca Jagger and David Hockney.

A New Way of Walking

Manolo’s first collaboration was with designer Ossie Clarke. New to the craft of shoemaking, Manolo forgot to put steel pins in the heels of the shoes, which caused the heels to bend on the catwalk and the models to sway unsteadily. He thought it was the end for him, but it turned out to be a huge success – “a new way of walking” was born. The show, held at the Royal Court on the 25th May 1971, was dubbed “the most extraordinary moment in the history of fashion” by critic Suzy Menkes, and the first review of his shoes by WWD's Jody Jacobs surmised: “high heeled, wrapped around the ankles… what they do for the legs is sensational.”

Manolo also collaborated with Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto on ‘Brick,’ which launched on the same day. He designed it in a week and made each pair of the geta-inspired platform himself, by hand. “I went to under the arches in Portobello Road, and I bought an incredible amount of cork,” Blahník remembers, adding that he covered the shoes in “revolting patent leather in green and red and pink.”

Ossie Clark

The pivotal show with the arbiter of cutting-edge British fashion marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration. Manolo turned his vision of the shoes in his set design for‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ into a reality when he created them for Ossie Clark’s 1972 show, and style‘Ivy’ was born.

The shoe has become an icon in its own right, and is still a mainstay of the collection, having been reissued in an array of colours and fabrications. Shop the style here.

Vogue

Shot by inimitable photographer David Bailey, Manolo Blahník became the first man on the cover of British Vogue, alongside American actress Anjelica Huston. They were photographed against a striking sunset in Corsica, and the shoot itself was memorable for all involved. Manolo was styled by his dear friend Grace Coddington, who invited him to model because he was the“chicest person [she] knew.” He brought his own wardrobe and spent hours perfecting his looks. For one shot, Manolo was buried up to his neck in the sand. Grace recalled Blahník being the most hysterical she had ever seen him. Anjelica surmised that she had“never laughed so much in [her] life.”

Manolo and his dogs

Dogs are Manolo’s constant companions and his greatest love – aside from shoes, of course. Photographed by Manolo himself, highland terriers Rex and Monty featured in advertising campaigns throughout the 1970s and ‘80s. Monty is pictured alongside the graphic Op-art-inspired shoe‘Piaggi,’ created for Manolo’s beloved friend Anna Piaggi.

Bianca Jagger

In late ‘70s New York, Manolo met his dearest collaborators and friends Bianca Jagger, Tina Chow, and Andre Leon Talley. Remembering the hedonistic period, Blahník recalls,“everybody looked fabulous all the time. The atmosphere in New York was electric. There were parties every night and everybody invited you.”

In one such moment, since etched on the collective memory of all fashionistas, Bianca Jagger was photographed entering Studio 54 on horseback for her 27th birthday celebrations; wearing her chicest Manolos, of course. Manolo was in attendance, and he was“just completely enamoured by the whole thing.”

Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton draws Manolo Blahnik’s advertising campaign. This was a significant moment for Manolo, who said of Beaton:“He was my idol, you see, I had worshipped this man ever since I was a boy, when I pored over his photographs in Vogue and read and re-read his diaries until I could hardly read any more. To me, he was a truly great artist, with truly great taste. He absolutely encapsulated everything that was wonderful about England. I showed him the shoes, and he chose the ones he wanted to draw – he was mad for a pump in silk satin, with a rosette. We chose three in total. And he drew them. With his left hand! He was right-handed and trained himself to draw with his left hand following a stroke.”

USA

Manolo opened his first US store in Autumn 1979, marking his influential debut across the pond. The store, designed by Rick Manchen and Kenneth Brian Walker, created an instant buzz in New York City. Its opening party was a star-studded affair, attended by Antonio Lopez, Tina Chow and Andy Warhol. This set the tone for what would become a hub for the most influential fashion designers, editors, models and musicians of the time. Manolo Blahnik returned to Madison Avenue with a dazzling new store in 2021.

Evangelina Blahnik

In 1981, Manolo’s sister Evangelina Blahník joined the company as Managing Director, solidifying the family business.

Early Collaborators

Manolo Blahník is celebrated for his collaborations with many designers. An early partnership with Perry Ellis began through Ellis’ assistant Patricia Pastor, who, charmed by shoes from Manolo Blahnik’s New York store, insisted,“Manolo must make our shoes.” This collaboration was a career milestone for Blahník. Ellis, then a rising star in American fashion, was the first to exclusively pair his designs with Manolo Blahnik shoes.

In the 1980s, bolstered by support from Anna Wintour, then newly appointed editor of American Vogue, Manolo worked with iconic designers like Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Carolina Herrera, and Isaac Mizrahi. Many classic styles from these collaborations remain key pieces in Blahnik's collection today.

Pirelli Calendar

Manolo Blahník’s presence in popular culture continued to grow when he was invited to design shoes for the Pirelli Calendar. For April’s page, his design, modelled by Anna Andersen and captured by renowned photographer Norman Parkinson, ingeniously incorporated the calendar’s automotive theme. Blahník hand-drew tyre prints on striking white pumps, artfully merging fashion with the motif. These original shoes are now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection.

Rifat Ozbeck

The brand-classic and best-selling style‘Orientalia’ was launched with Rifat Ozbek’s collection in 1987. In Blahník's designs, the concepts of dress and costume often blend, creating a dramatic impact. Orientalia, a term referring to a collection of Asian objects or materials, is imagined here as a collection of precious beads and pearls perched upon a slipper. The shoe became a favourite of stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Fashion Director of American Vogue, who would often wear it casually paired with jeans.

Carolyne

Manolo Blahnik created shoes for the then-emerging designer Carolyne Roehm. His effortless slingback, a model of minimal elegance, quickly became a bestseller.

Asia

The house continued its expansion across the Pacific in 1990, when Manolo opened his first store in Asia.

Maysale

Blahník is well known for his mastery of the mule. A minimalist’s dream, the Maysale was created in 1991 for designer Isaac Mizrahi. Originally called ‘Salem’ and conceived in patent nappa, the style combines a pared-back aesthetic with an elevated sensibility and has been worn by icons from Madonna to Marge Simpson.

John Galliano

Manolo began his creative collaboration with designer John Galliano, creating classics including the 'Agatha' spectator mule, with its distinctive brogue detailing. Worn on the runway by supermodels Linda Evangelista, Helena Christiensen, and Christy Turlington, the style was originally inspired by another icon – Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple.

Sex and the City

In the late 1990s, Candace Bushnell's‘Sex and the City’ gained prominence, paving the way for the iconic TV series. Manolo Blahník’s name became intertwined with New York, the series, and Carrie Bradshaw, while the‘Hangisi’ later became a household name in its own right. Originally created in pink, black and green for the Spring Summer 2008 Collection, the shoe is a tribute to both Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg’s film‘The Scarlet Empress,’ and Josephine Bonaparte; a nod to a European court shoe with a regency-inspired crystal buckle. Since then, 'Hangisi' has been produced in over 100 different materials and colourways and in seven different heel heights; it has also evolved into boots, mules, d'orsays, flats, bags and belts.

1990s Collaborations

In celebration of Louis Vuitton’s 100th anniversary, Manolo Blahník was one of six designers invited to reimagine the brand’s iconic monogram canvas luggage. The limited edition fuchsia-lined shoe trunk he created was exhibited globally.

Manolo also collaborated with Estée Lauder, releasing a dazzling gold nail lacquer.

Films

Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin began working with Manolo, choosing a pair of delicate grecian-gold sandals for Claire Danes’ angel fancy-dress costume in Baz Luhrmann’s‘Romeo and Juliet.’

Glenn Close wore striking red Manolos with a caged heel, as the glamorous villain Cruella De Vil in Disney’s live-action film‘101 Dalmatians.’

Manolo's Books

Literature has inspired some of Manolo’s most memorable shoes, and his own life’s work has also made its way into libraries. In 2000, fashion historian Colin McDowell published‘Manolo Blahnik,’ uncovering the man behind the label through informative commentary, beautiful sketches and photographs of Manolo’s factories, homes; and of course, his shoes. In 2001, Blahník’s dear friend Eric Boman published‘Blahnik by Boman’ – a collaborative photographic collection of Manolo’s most striking styles.

'Fleeting Gestures and Obsessions', an expansive compilation of Manolo’s far-reaching references, was unveiled in 2013, featuring stunning photography and thoughtful contributions from Manolo’s inspirations, friends and mentors.

To accompany his travelling exhibition,‘The Art of Shoes’ was released in 2017, depicting alphabetised inspirations through sketches, images and anecdotes.

Design Museum

Manolo’s first major exhibition, titled‘Manolo Blahnik: Shoes, A Retrospective of 30 Years of Shoe Design,’ took place at the Design Museum in London. The exhibition, designed by Kristina Blahnik, showcased an extensive collection of shoes. Notably, it featured a remarkable loan of a Zurburan painting from the National Gallery, complemented by an inventive display comprising over 14,000 shoe boxes.

Kristina Blahnik

In childhood, Kristina Blahnik spent her time crafting Wendy houses from shoeboxes in the Old Church Street store. After a career in architecture, she joined the company in 2009. In 2013, Kristina assumed the role of CEO, bringing her exceptional eye for detail to the brand and successfully merging her architectural roots with her flair for both business and creativity, reinforcing the core foundations of the brand.

BB

In his continued pursuit of perfect craftsmanship and exquisite shape, Manolo created the BB – a sleek stiletto pump inspired by screen-icon Brigitte Bardot. This iconic design has become a classic wardrobe staple, offered in a spectrum of colours, fabrics, and heel heights.

A Decade of Films

Sofia Coppola featured Manolo’s fanciful creations in her 2006 historical drama‘Marie Antoinette.’ The film’s Oscar-winning costume designer, Milena Canonero, approached Manolo to create the last Queen of France’s shoes. Tackling the brief with typical diligence and creativity, he studied 18th century shoes in the V&A Museum and the Musée Carnavalet, before creating the designs by hand, cutting thousands of delicate trims and tassels and tying hundreds of bows.

In Baz Luhrmann’s‘Moulin Rouge,’ Nicole Kidman’s Satine slipped into a pair of Manolo’s ‘Maria Stella’ stilettos for scenes inside the infamous Parisian cabaret. The satin heels featured ornate embellishment across the instep and a buckle detail on the pointed toe.

2000s Collaborations

In 2005, Manolo added his artistic touch to Coca Cola’s bottles, celebrating the‘joy of designing something which creates a smile,’ with a red cherry shoe print, which encased limited edition bottles to benefit the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Manolo Blahník lent his design eye to high-street homeware brand Habitat, designing a collectors-item curvaceous metal shoe horn.

Liberty Pop Up

The immersive‘World of Manolo’ pop-up store opened at the British department store Liberty in 2010. Alongside Manolo’s coveted shoes, limited-edition items including cushions, umbrellas and scarves were created in Manolo’s sketch prints and displayed in an impactful atrium designed by Kristina Blahnik.

Lane Crawford BLITZ

In February 2012, Lane Crawford Hong Kong showcased Manolo Blahnik in their BLITZ concept space. Dedicated to championing creativity through collaborations, the colourful display showcased Manolo’s photography from the 1970s onwards, alongside a series of collaborative products including trunks by Globetrotter.

The Film

'Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards’ was directed by industry polymath and Manolo’s close friend, the late Michael Roberts. The film is an intimate assortment of interviews, animation and behind-the-scenes footage that follows the story of Manolo’s life and creative journey.

Michael Roberts and Manolo were friends since meeting in London in the early 1970s, and often collaborated together. Michael created many short films for and about Manolo, including ‘Jealousy,’ which featured Rupert Everett and Lucy Birley and was presented at London Fashion Week in 2014.

The Art of Shoes

In 2017, the touring retrospective ‘The Art of Shoes’ was launched, exhibiting 45 years of Manolo’s designs. The exhibition was a wide-ranging, thematic insight into Manolo’s archive. Together with curator Dr. Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz, Manolo hand-selected over 200 shoes and 80 original drawings as a personal reflection of his work, capturing the essence of his design. The sell-out show travelled to museums in Milan, St Petersburg, Prague, Madrid and Toronto.

Men's

Though perhaps best known for his women’s styles, Blahník began his shoemaking career by creating men’s shoes for his closest friends, initially learning his trade at shoe factories in Northamptonshire, England. The Manolo Blahnik Men’s collection re-launched in 2018 with the momentous opening of his first Men’s store, adjacent to the women’s boutique in Burlington Arcade, London.

The Wallace Collection

In 2019, ‘ An Enquiring Mind’ launched at The Wallace Collection in London.

Co-curated by Wallace Collection Director Dr Xavier Bray and Manolo Blahník himself, the exhibition showcased Manolo’s most fantastical creations amongst the gallery’s permanent collection, in direct juxtaposition with the artworks and eras that inspired them. The unique exhibition was a particular honour for Manolo, marking the first and only time an artist has exhibited within the galleries at The Wallace Collection.

Paris

Manolo’s debut boutique in Paris, located at the historic Palais-Royal, marked a significant return to the city where he had lived during the 1960s. Paris played a pivotal role in his fashion journey, fostering valuable connections and enduring friendships.

Designed by Manolo himself, the boutique exudes Parisian elegance with Georgian-inspired decor. Its previous incarnation as Café Corazza, dating back to 1787 and frequented by figures like Robespierre and Napoleon Bonaparte, aligns perfectly with Blahník's affinity for 18th-century history, making it a fitting location for his iconic brand.

A Decade of Films

Harnessing the persuasive power of a shoe, Margot Robbie’s Naomi Belfort wore Manolo’s patent pink 'Camparinew' Mary-Janes for an eyebrow-raising scene in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Wolf of Wall Street.’

Manolo’s delicate round-toe embroidered pump‘Swan’ was worn by Kristen Stewart for the wedding scenes in the‘Twilight’ film series.

2010s Collaborations

Collaborating with global music star Rihanna, Manolo created three exclusive capsule collections. Rihanna wore the ornately-embellished styles from the‘So Stoned’ capsule in the‘Wild Thoughts’ music video.

Manolo produced a series of sell-out styles for avant-garde label Vetements, which went on to win the Footwear News award for collaboration of the year. The collection featured deconstructed classics alongside towering wader-boots in rich satin tones, fusing the houses’ distinct aesthetics.

Castaner and Manolo Blahnik created traditional Spanish espadrilles for Spring Summer 2018, as well as an exquisite bridal capsule collection.

Celebrating 50 Years

2021 marked fifty momentous years of Manolo Blahnik. In celebration of this landmark anniversary, a Gold capsule collection was launched, featuring the house's celebrated design motifs offered in glittering metallics.

‘The Manolo Blahnik Archives,’ the brand’s very first virtual space was launched, offering an unprecedented window into Manolo’s work, his community, and most enduring inspirations, through a series of curated spaces.

Manolo takes Manhattan

Manolo returned to Madison Avenue to open a brand new boutique in the heart of New York City. A grand and suitably fitting dual-aspect home for both his men’s and women’s collections, the dazzling new store was inspired by a sense of‘Hollywood Regency.’

The Foundation

The Manolo Blahnik Foundation launched in 2022 as an independent charity, following the brand's long-standing commitment to philanthropy.

The foundation has three main funding pillars, comprising of mental health and wellbeing, the welfare of animals, and engaging and supporting new generations (in the arts / creative industries).

The aim of the foundation is to make a meaningful difference by achieving a lasting and systemic impact in each of these pillars.

The Craft

In 2023, 'The Craft' was added to Manolo Blahnik’s award-winning Archives. The room explores the craftsmanship behind both the men’s and women’s collections, offering an unparalleled insight into the art of shoemaking.

A Decade of Films

Collaborating once again with costume designer Catherine Martin, Manolo created men’s shoes for the Baz Luhrmann biopic 'Elvis'. The resultant handcrafted footwear silhouettes reflected the nostalgic elements of the 1950s era alongside Blahnik’s unmistakable flair. They are seen throughout the film on the titular character, played by Austin Butler, perfectly complementing his striking stage attire.

2020s Collaborations

Following Manolo and Kristina Blahnik’s feature in the Birkenstock personalities campaign in 2021, Manolo launched a sell-out collaboration with Birkenstock in 2022, creating two limited-edition capsule collections. The collections combined the houses’ shared commitment to craftsmanship with Manolo’s signature touch of glamour through dazzling buckles and unexpected fabrications.