Manolo Blahnik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manolo Blahnik CBE (born 27 November 1942 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands) is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the self-named, high-end shoe label.
[edit] Biography
Born to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and raised on a banana plantation, Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva in 1965 and studied art in Paris. He moved to London in 1968 to work at fashion boutique Zapata and write for Vogue Italia. After showing his portfolio of fashions and set designs to Diana Vreeland, she told him that he should design solely footware. In 1972, Ossie Clark invited him to create shoes for his runway show. With a loan of £2,000, Blahnik bought Zapata from its owner and opened his own boutique. [1]
Blahnik's boutiques are located in New York, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Kuwait, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, Monterrey, and Sao Paulo. Bloomingdales (for which he created his first American collection), Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue carry his line in the United States.
Blahnik was awarded the honorary title of Commander of the British Empire in 2007 for his service to the British fashion industry.
[edit] References
- ^ Manolo Blahnik Design Museum Retrieved 7 August 2008
