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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Michael Segalov

Manolo Blahnik: ‘I’m sick of the past, it’s the future that speaks to me’

‘Shoes are in my DNA. My mother loved them, my father, too’: Manolo Blahnik.
‘Shoes are in my DNA. My mother loved them, my father, too’: Manolo Blahnik. Photograph: Stella MacDonald/Eyevine

I was a pest, an impossible child. I knew what I wanted, when and how, and refused to be told otherwise. It’s fair to say little has changed – I’m still as stubborn as I’ve ever been.

Shoes are in my DNA. My mother loved them, my father, too. I was always surrounded by beautiful footwear. Still, my career was an accident – responsible was the late, great Diana Vreeland. We met by chance in New York; I was almost catatonic. She saw my drawings, looked me straight in the eye and said: “Young man, do shoes, you’re very good at it.” Of course, I listened.

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