After months of being teased, the upcoming Manolo Blahnik retrospective documentary – entitled Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards – finally has a launch date for September 29.
Directed by the shoe designer’s close friend, Michael Roberts, the film casts Blahnik as narrator and takes fans of the brand deep into its archive to celebrate some of its most iconic milestones. From Blahnik’s childhood fixation with shoes and lizards, it follows him on a journey through his career spanning over 40 years. Highlights include Diana Vreeland encouraging him to turn his sketches into designs, being the first man on the cover of British Vogue shot by David Bailey in 1974 and ultimately how he became one of the greatest shoemakers of the past century.
Vogue’s Anna Wintour, André Leon Talley, Rihanna and Naomi Campbell all make appearances testifying to the power of Blahnik’s work and how he has influenced different parts of modern culture. While Talley refers to him as a “poet”, comparing his influence to that of Baudelaire, Wintour puts it more simply: “I can’t remember the last time I wore anybody else’s shoes, I don’t even look at them.”
Watch the trailer below
