Manolo Blahnik
| Manolo Blahnik | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Manuel Blahnik Rodríguez 27 November 1942 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain |
| Residence | Bath, England |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Labels | Manolo Blahnik |
Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez CBE (/məˈnoʊloʊ ˈblɑːnɪk/; born 27 November 1942, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain), is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the high-end shoe brand.
Blahnik was born and raised in Santa Cruz de la Palma, in the Canary Islands (Spain). His Czech father’s family owned a pharmaceutical firm in Prague, and his Spanish mother’s family owned a banana plantation in the island city of Santa Cruz de la Palma. He was homeschooled when he was a child. After he grew up, he attended a Swiss boarding school. Later, his parents wanted him to be a diplomat, and enrolled him at the University of Geneva majoring in Politics and Law. However, Blahnik changed his majors to Literature and Architecture. In 1965, he got his degree and moved to Paris for studying Art at the École des Beaux-Arts and Stage Set Design at the Louvre Art School, while working at a vintage clothing shop. In 1968, he moved to London to work as a buyer at fashion boutique "Zapata" and wrote for L’Uomo Vogue, an Italian men’s version of Vogue.
In 1970, Blahnik had a chance to meet Diana Vreeland, the editor-in-chief of U.S Vogue, while he was travelling in New York. He then presented his portfolio of fashions and set designs to Vreeland, at which point she looked him straight in the eye and said, "Young man, make things, make accessories, make shoes." She admired his shoe sketches and advised him to concentrate on designing footwear. Blahnik followed her advice and worked on designing shoes.
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