Heart & Sole

Shoe designer extraordinaire Manolo Blahnik reflects on the past for the future.

Is there a woman who has never heard of the name, Manolo Blahnik? With the release of his biographical film, Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards, and works currently on display in museums all over the world, the Spanish designer reveals to BAZAAR tales he hasn’t been able to tell until now, and his thoughts on his upcoming collection.

You’ve had many iconic creations to your name. Which of them would you consider as the most memorable during your career?

When I worked with Kansaï Yamamoto in 1971. As we were putting a show together, I was providing the shoes, and we ended up making Japanese geta sandals and called them The Brick. We bought cork around Portobello Market, in acid green and pink python leather. We gathered all these materials from the market, and got everything made within a week. I consider that to be the start of my career but at the time, I did not know exactly if the shoes were good or bad. So of course, I was nervous to show him. Thankfully, though, he liked them and told me so.

Then you went to New York?

I showed Mrs Vreeland my theatre design portfolio. She said, “Wonderful accessories, wonderful objects. Take it further.” So my stumbling into shoe design was really accidental. I was so set on becoming a theatre designer that the thought of being a shoe designer really hadn’t crossed my mind.

How did you feel about being told that?

Well, my mother also designed shoes. Maybe it’s something in my genes? Who knows?

You later ended up in London, where you opened your first boutique. What made you decide to open your first boutique in Chelsea?