Fashion career profile
Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik is a Spanish shoe designer whose eponymous company grew from a London boutique into an international footwear house. After studies in Geneva, Paris and London, he initially imagined a career designing theatre sets. A meeting with Vogue editor Diana Vreeland in the late 1960s redirected his attention to shoes; Blahnik then studied shoemaking through visits to artisans and factories rather than through a formal shoemaking program. He founded his label in 1970, taking over the Old Church Street boutique in Chelsea, and created shoes for an Ossie Clark runway presentation in 1971. His practice remains unusually hands-on: the company says he continues to sketch every shoe and oversee materials, lasts, heels and prototypes. Manolo Blahnik International Limited identifies him as its Creative Director and Chairman, while his sister and niece have held separate managing-director and CEO responsibilities. The profile keeps that creative role distinct from executive management and does not convert the company’s current title into an unsupported start date.
- Role
- Founder & Designer, Manolo Blahnik
- Nationality
- Spanish
- Age
- 83
- Manolo Blahnik International Limited — Founder1970–End not documented · status not documented
- Kristina Blahnik on Preserving and Expanding Manolo Blahnik's LegacyWho What Wear · 2026-10-20
- Kim Kardashian Pairs Maximalist Roberto Cavalli Dress With Strappy Manolo Blahnik Sandals at Singapore Grand PrixWWD · 2026-10-12
- Scarlett Johansson Sports Strappy Manolo Blahnik Sandals During ‘Ray Gun’ PremiereWWD · 2026-10-10
- Current creative role: Heads Manolo Blahnik as Creative Director and ChairmanThe company distinguishes his creative leadership from his niece Kristina Hulsebus Blahnik’s CEO role. · Manolo Blahnik
- Design practice: Sketches each shoe and oversees materials, lasts, heels and prototypesThe company describes Blahnik’s direct work with Italian factories and artisans as part of product development. · Manolo Blahnik
- Recognition: Won CFDA and British Fashion Council Accessory Designer of the Year in 1990Both organizations recognized his shoe design in the same year. · Manolo Blahnik
- Menswear: Re-launched the Manolo Blahnik men’s collection in 2018The company opened its first dedicated men’s boutique beside its Burlington Arcade women’s store. · Manolo Blahnik
- 1970 — Founds his London labelBlahnik takes over a boutique on Old Church Street in Chelsea.
- 1971 — Creates shoes for an Ossie Clark showHis first runway shoe designs are presented at the Royal Court in London.
- 1979 — Opens his first United States storeThe company chronology dates the New York opening to autumn 1979.
- 2018 — Re-launches the men’s collectionThe re-launch coincides with a dedicated men’s boutique in London.