Manolo Blahnik

With a career spanning over 45 years, Manolo Blahnik has become one of the world's most influential shoe designers. His shoes have spellbound an international set of adoring and loyal devotees across the globe. Known as the subject of Michael Roberts' in depth biopic, Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards (2017), for his on-screen contribution to: Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2011) and also for his renowned footwear designs alongside the Academy Award winning costumes of Milena Canonero in Sofia Coppola's: Marie Antoinette (2005) Born in the Canary Islands to a Spanish mother and a Czech father, Blahnik studied languages and art in Geneva before moving to Paris in 1965 where he decided to become a set designer. On a visit to New York in 1969, he showed his theatre designs to Diana Vreeland, the ex-editor-in-chief of American Vogue, who honed in on his shoes and encouraged him to concentrate on them. It was by visiting factories and talking to machine operators, pattern c