Destined to be a diplomat, Manolo Blahnik fell in love with shoes as a child, observing his mother's countless pairs. Then one of the greatest shoe designers in history was born.

&ldquo;It will be at the Palais-Royal or nowhere.&rdquo; Manolo Blahnik has that definitive way of saying things. Always sure of himself, he never hesitates, with an iron will. From the height of his 76 years, the icon creator of shoes, chosen by women who seek to feel special, is preparing to open his first Parisian store. &ldquo;I waited for a long time, because I wanted it to be located right here, under the arches of this magnificent garden. It is a place that is very dear to me. It represents the symbol of Paris&#39; intrinsic beauty. I discovered it in 1961, when I was in the city for the first time. I made the trip by car, leaving Geneva with friends. &rdquo;

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Having lived in Paris between 1965 and 1969, the Spanish creator keeps a vivid memory of the time. &ldquo;These were magical and light years. He lived on Rue Bonaparte, two steps from the Church of Saint-Germaindes-Pr&egrave;s. I remember sitting on the terrace of the Caf&eacute; de Flore with my friend Shriley Goldfarb, an American painter, looking a little beatnik, to watch people passing by. They had an exquisite style. Which is not the case today! Nobody knows how to dress anymore. &rdquo;Always speaking in a totally sincere and cheerful way, inherent to those who frequented those who gave Paris the cool twist at the time, he continues:&ldquo; The memory I have of Paris is linked to the people I met. Strong personalities with a great sense of humor. He had Fran&ccedil;oise Sagan and Juliette Gr&eacute;co&#39;s sister, Charlotte Ailland, a woman of indisputable charm. When I moved to London in the early 1970s, I continued to go there every weekend, or almost! &rdquo;

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To start his career, Manolo offered his services to another young talent, the Englishman Ossie Clark, belonging to the Swinging London scene, very effervescent at the time. From the partnership, an iconic model is born: Ivy, created by the future master and used in a fashion show signed by Ossie, in 1973. Ivy was a very open, green and high-heeled sandal. The mooring went up and intertwined on the legs, ending with cherries on the ends. Difficult to master, this creative technique continues today, being Mr. Blahnik&#39;s favorite. &ldquo;I am known for models with lashings that fit around the ankle. But it is very complicated to do! It is a question of balance. It may even seem vulgar. &rdquo;

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Even today, he draws each of his models by hand in a small room in his house, which serves as a studio. &ldquo;I use only paint. You have to be careful, otherwise everything gets dirty.&rdquo;

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It was also in Paris in the 1960s and 70s that he built lasting, sincere and rich bonds of exchange and emotions. The young shoe designer, formed by Italian artisans, who ended up opening his own creative studio, in the Chelsea neighborhood, London, went whenever he could to the other side of the Channel, where he energized himself and returned with new ideas.

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&ldquo;I was very close to Azzedine Ala&iuml;a, I spent a lot of time at his house, with his friends. I remember that she kept Madame Vionnet&#39;s dresses precious. Ala&iuml;a, from time to time, gave them to one of her friends to wear and said to me, in awe, things like: &#39;Look at this fallen drape. It is magnificent, isn&#39;t it? &#39;&rdquo;The defining figure in fashion in Mr. Blahnik&#39;s eyes was Yves Saint Laurent. &ldquo;He was extraordinarily kind, generous and shy. We met at a party, in a Parisian garden. I was with my great friend Paloma Picasso. I remember watching him laugh and delight in the parade in front of his then friend Loulou de la Falaise, wearing pink satin shoes. &rdquo;The path of these two men continued to cross over the years, and the luxury shoemaker ended up creating shoe models for some of his shows. &ldquo;Today, I still dare not go through the doors of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris. It is very painful for me. &rdquo;Creator Karl Lagerfeld was also one of his close friends:&ldquo; He was a real genius! His death touched me a lot &rdquo;.

Born in 1942, in Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands, son of a Czech father, owner of a pharmaceutical laboratory. and a Spanish mother, who owns a banana plantation, there was no indication that young Manolo would embrace the profession of shoemaker and walk among the most creative in Paris. &ldquo;It was completely unexpected. I would even say that the profession of shoe designer came to me. He was destined to become a diplomat. It was what my parents wanted. One of my uncles worked at the United Nations in Geneva. In fact, at 17, I was sent there by my parents to do a summer internship and ended up staying. I attended law school. I liked it a lot, especially the old law, which helped me understand how democracy works. &rdquo;Until then, confined to the contours of his native island, he followed home schooling. Even so, Manolo took advantage of the proximity to Switzerland, France and England to stroll and thus manage to change the air on the continent. Years later, he enrolled for a time at the Louvre School in Paris. He worked in a vintage store in London, and multiplied his encounters with those who would give the fashion north later. &ldquo;At the time, what really interested me was the set design. I dreamed of becoming a set designer and already drew a lot. &rdquo;It was one of her drawings that, providentially, fell into the hands of Diana Vreeland, and ended up defining her destiny:&ldquo; She told me: &#39;Stop searching. You were made to create shoes! &#39;&rdquo;

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For Manolo Blahnik, it was a surprising revelation. &ldquo;I&#39;ve always loved shoes, it&#39;s true. That taste comes from my mother. She traveled a lot with my father to Madrid, Marseille and Monaco and brought several pairs of shoes from those trips. One of them marked me particularly: the inside was lined with a golden Moroccan motif, which referred to a gold leaf! I was amazed and kept them. They&#39;re at my house. My mother even convinced a shoemaker in our region to make a shoe tailored for her. I watched the creation process in wonder. Hence, undoubtedly, my love for them was born. &rdquo;

The shoe master is constantly inspired by his surroundings, films, books, plays and actresses. &ldquo;When I discovered Paris in 1961, I spent my first night at the theater. I watched the play Dommage that Elle Soit joins Putain (Too bad she is a whore), by the English playwright Jonh Ford, staged by Luchino Visconti, with Alain Delon and Romy Schneider. What a sublime pair of actors! &rdquo;From then on, he confesses a deep admiration for French culture. &ldquo;I read many French classics, Lamartine, Balzac, for several nights. I also like to spend my free time in museums. Beauty is everywhere. &rdquo;Despite this, he prefers cinema and, if he is French, even better:&ldquo; I try to keep up with all the new films. I like to be aware of everything that goes on. I love Andr&eacute; T&eacute;chin&eacute;, Patrice Leconte, Beno&icirc;t Jacquot. For example, Les Adieux &agrave; la Reine (Goodbye, My Queen), with L&eacute;a Seydoux and Diane Kruger, is a fantastic film! And there is a group of actresses that I find very elegant: Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve and St&eacute;phane Audran. What extraordinary beauty! And Dominique Sanda! Where should she go now? Do you still make films? &rdquo;

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Suddenly, he accidentally enters pop culture himself when, around the 2000s, Carrie Bradshaw, the hero of the cult series Sex and the City, is a passionate lover of his creations. &ldquo;Ah, yes, there are still people who talk about it! But I never watched the series, &rdquo;he says, enjoying himself. The younger generations also find their name in the lyrics of the song Bonnie and Clyde, by Beyonc&eacute; and Jay &ndash; Z, contemporary of the famous series.

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When he is not touring the world because of his professional obligations (he has close to 320 points of sale across the globe), Manolo Blahnik divides his time between his London home and his Bath residence in Somersert, southern England. , who discovered it in 1983, on a trip with fashion editor Grace Coddington.

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Today more than ever, he continues to cultivate his unique dress style: rich in color and wisely elegant. As a sign of recognition. &ldquo;I always liked to use colors. I think it brings joy. Even more so in England, where the weather is so uncertain. When it rains or the day is gray, I dress in red. I think being well-dressed is a sign of respect: for yourself and for others. People don&#39;t try anymore today. It&#39;s a shame. &rdquo;His suits, impeccably cut to size, are all from Anderson &amp; Sheppard, cultured tailors from London&#39;s Seville Row. He, who confesses to housing more than 25,000 pairs of shoes at his home in Bath, has no intention of slowing down for the time being: &ldquo;I draw about 300 sketches of shoes each season!&rdquo;

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Translation by Claudia Levron for L&#39;Officiel Brasil

High heels talent: the story of Manolo Blahnik, an icon of footwear

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