Manolo Blahnik

His name has become synonymous with luxury women's footwear, yet Manolo Blahnik is a shoe designer by chance. He was studying art and scenography in Paris when, in 1969, his dear friend Paloma Picasso introduced him to the then director of the Met Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland.
After seeing Manolo's sketches for “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, Vreeland focused on Ippolyta's high-heeled sandal decorated with ivy and cherries and told him: “Young man, get to it and make the shoes!”
Settling in London in 1969, just a year later, he opened his first boutique on Old Church Street, in Chelsea. In 1971, he developed his inaugural shoe for a fashion show by the most important British designer of the time, Ossie Clark. Manolo has always been sophisticated, with a personal style belonging to another era, or perhaps existing outside of time. He has designed elegant stilettos and has convinced his female clients to embrace his most refined sense of femininity.