Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik , actually Manuel Blahnik Rodríguez (born November 27, 1942 in Santa Cruz de La Palma , Canary Islands ) is a Spanish shoe designer who was best known for the television series Sex and the City and Absolutely Fabulous .
Life
Manolo Blahnik and his younger sister Evangelina grew up on La Palma , where their parents, a Czech pharmaceutical representative and their Spanish mother, owned a banana plantation . In Geneva he began to study law and politics. After just one semester, he switched to literature and architecture. From 1965 he studied art in Paris at the " École des Beaux Arts " and at the " École du Louvre ". After dropping out of his studies, he moved to London , where he worked for the Italian Vogue . His girlfriend Paloma Picasso , from Paris times, and the then editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Diana Vreeland , are said to have encouraged him to try her hand at shoe design. He created his first shoe collection in 1972 for the London boutique Zapata on Old Church Street. In 1973 Blahnik took over the Zapata boutique together with his sister . In 1974 Manolo Blahnik became the first man to make the cover of British Vogue. Blahnik's career in the United States began in the late 1970s when he designed a collection for Bloomingdale’s and opened his first boutique on Madison Avenue in New York in 1979 .
The stilettos in which Bianca Jagger celebrated her birthday in 1977 in “ Studio 54 ” achieved particular public fame . This appearance marked the beginning of his international career. The brand later gained further attention through the television series Sex and the City and Absolutely Fabulous .
Because of their high prices and exclusivity, Blahnik's shoe creations are particularly popular with high society women and are worn by Madonna , Jennifer Aniston and Winona Ryder , for example . His trademarks are high heels (10 to 12 centimeters), unusual design and a mix of different materials.
Today Manolo Blahnik lives in Milan and Bath and works in London.
honors and awards
- 1987: Special Prize from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
- 1988: Balenciaga Fashion Prize
- 1990, 1999, 2003 and 2012 "Designer of the Year" from the British Fashion Awards Accessory
- 2000 Nieman Marcus Award
- 2001: Honorary Doctorate from the College of Arts London
- 2001: Honory Royal Designer for Industry (HonRDI)., London
- 2002: Medalla de Oro en Merito en las Bellas Artes awarded by King Juan Carlos I of Spain
- 2007: Honorary title Honory Commander of the British Empire (CBE) awarded by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2008: Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award
- 2012: Blahnik was awarded the Spanish Fashion Prize ( Premio Nacional de Diseño de Moda ). He donated the prize money of 30,000 EUR for needy families on his home island La Palma , of which he has been an honorary citizen since 2002.
literature
- Manolo Blahník: Sketches . Knesebeck Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-86873-109-5 .
- Eric Bomann: Manolo Blahník . Collection Rolf Heyne Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-89910-268-0 .
Web links
- Biography of Manolo Blahnik
- CV at designmuseum.org
- "I hate fashion" - Interview at stern.de
- Detailed German biography
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d lapalma-medien.com - portrait (edition 02/11) “High Heels and Vulkangestein” ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 2, 2013
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j elle.de - Der Schuh-Guru Manolo Blahnik , accessed on January 2, 2013
- ↑ a b clothing.com - Manolo Blahnik receives 2012 Designer Award , accessed on January 2, 2013
- ↑ cosmopolitan.de - A star at your feet , accessed on January 2, 2013
- ↑ wochenblatt.es - Manolo Blahnik donates prize money from his homeland ( Memento of the original from April 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 2, 2013
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Blahnik, Manolo |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish shoe designer |
DATE OF BIRTH | November 27, 1942 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Santa Cruz de La Palma , Canary Islands |