His name has become synonymous with women’s luxury shoes, yet Manolo Blahnik is a shoe designer by accident. He was studying art and set design in Paris when, in 1969, his close friend Paloma Picasso introduced him to then-director of the Met Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland. Upon seeing Manolo’s sketches for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Vreeland zeroed in on Hippolyta’s high-heeled sandal decorated with ivy and cherries and told him, “Young man, stick to the extremities and make shoes!”

Born in the Canary Islands to a Spanish mother and a Czech father, Manolo grew up in the lush and isolated setting of a banana plantation owned by his mother’s family. He recalls having an early fixation with feet-specifically those of the lizards that invaded the gardens of his home. In a solitary game, Manolo would shape the aluminium wrappers from his chocolate candies into shoes for the unsuspecting reptiles. It wasn’t until his conversation with Diana Vreeland many years later that he would think about creating shoes again.A privately owned and family run company, Manolo Blahnik still heads the brand as Creative Director and Chairman. He worked with his sister Evangelina Blahnik as Managing Director from 1981 until his niece Kristina Hulsebus Blahnik took over as CEO in 2013. Kristina is currently working on expanding and optimising the business worldwide and manages all aspects of the family venture.