Manolo Blahnik: "I'm fed up with the past, it's the future that speaks to me"
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 that not much has changed - I'm still as stubborn as I've ever been.
Shoes are part of my DNA. My mother loved them, my father too. I was always surrounded by beautiful shoes. Yet 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, make shoes, you're very good at it." Of course, I listened.
I'm a workaholic, I work nonstop. I don't understand the idea of retirement. I will never get bored creating; I will never stop exploring new things. Sitting on the couch in front of the TV and eating crisps? It sounds hellish.
Reading in the morning is good for the soul. Each page can inspire me in untold ways: the descriptions of food and fashion; culture and nature. Mom read to us constantly. Now me too. Today's movies are too fast. I need more time in these worlds. I wake up and dive into their pages.
The Queen's death really broke me. It really touched me.
I'm quieter than you think. When I speak it is very fast - few can follow - and with friends I will have extensive conversations. But most of the time, I'm silent.
Getting old doesn't scare me, but pain does. Recently I fell from the first to the first floor of my house and broke my leg and arm. It really shook me up. I am not concerned with death itself. Losing others, however, I find difficult. In August, I lost my dear friend, photographer Eric Boman. It made me temporarily neurotic.
Happiness? I'm not sure what it is. Instead, I look for moments of happiness. For me, it comes from being in the countryside with my dogs. I am addicted to my Labradors. I like these creatures more than people.
Tell people in front if you don't like something. Don't do it cruelly, always try to be nice. Honesty is worth the effort. I have a reputation in my factories for being hard to please, but that's the price you have to pay for trying to achieve perfection.
We arrived at a state of mediocrity, it seems to me. No one asks for more, aspires to the beautiful, the new and the extraordinary. Fashion doesn't appeal to me. I like to make things that last, exquisitely crafted.
I'm tired of thinking about the past. It's really the future that speaks to me. I'm lucky to have done something I love for so long and to have people I respect who like me. But I have yet to reach my greatest achievements - it's yet to come. I'm incredibly proud of my upcoming collections.
I'm a loner at heart, a lonely soul. I can't stand crowds or parties. I'll be alone for my 80th birthday and I can't think of a better way to spend it.
manoloblahnik.com< /p>
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 that not much has changed - I'm still as stubborn as I've ever been.
Shoes are part of my DNA. My mother loved them, my father too. I was always surrounded by beautiful shoes. Yet 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, make shoes, you're very good at it." Of course, I listened.
I'm a workaholic, I work nonstop. I don't understand the idea of retirement. I will never get bored creating; I will never stop exploring new things. Sitting on the couch in front of the TV and eating crisps? It sounds hellish.
Reading in the morning is good for the soul. Each page can inspire me in untold ways: the descriptions of food and fashion; culture and nature. Mom read to us constantly. Now me too. Today's movies are too fast. I need more time in these worlds. I wake up and dive into their pages.
The Queen's death really broke me. It really touched me.
I'm quieter than you think. When I speak it is very fast - few can follow - and with friends I will have extensive conversations. But most of the time, I'm silent.
Getting old doesn't scare me, but pain does. Recently I fell from the first to the first floor of my house and broke my leg and arm. It really shook me up. I am not concerned with death itself. Losing others, however, I find difficult. In August, I lost my dear friend, photographer Eric Boman. It made me temporarily neurotic.
Happiness? I'm not sure what it is. Instead, I look for moments of happiness. For me, it comes from being in the countryside with my dogs. I am addicted to my Labradors. I like these creatures more than people.
Tell people in front if you don't like something. Don't do it cruelly, always try to be nice. Honesty is worth the effort. I have a reputation in my factories for being hard to please, but that's the price you have to pay for trying to achieve perfection.
We arrived at a state of mediocrity, it seems to me. No one asks for more, aspires to the beautiful, the new and the extraordinary. Fashion doesn't appeal to me. I like to make things that last, exquisitely crafted.
I'm tired of thinking about the past. It's really the future that speaks to me. I'm lucky to have done something I love for so long and to have people I respect who like me. But I have yet to reach my greatest achievements - it's yet to come. I'm incredibly proud of my upcoming collections.
I'm a loner at heart, a lonely soul. I can't stand crowds or parties. I'll be alone for my 80th birthday and I can't think of a better way to spend it.
manoloblahnik.com< /p>
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