Manolo Blahnik is set to sell his famous shoes in Harrods following the designer’s Liberty venture earlier this year, but that’s going to be it as far as the UK goes.
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Blahnik has inked a deal which will see his creations sold alongside those of Kurt Geiger, with Geiger managing boutiques within the shoe departments at both London department stores.
Blahnik told WWD: “I am very excited that my shoes will reach an even broader audience through Kurt Geiger in Liberty and Harrods.”
Previously Blahnik’s shoes were only available in one boutique located in Chelsea.
As well as shoes, the Liberty space sells tote bags, scarves and stationery. The Harrods area will feature the brand’s autumn collection, and will span 300 square feet.
Blahnik added: “The Liberty opening in February has been very successful, and with Harrods being a breathtakingly beautiful store full of incredible heritage, seeing my shoes there in the next couple of months will be a special moment.”
Kristina Blahnik – Manolo’s niece, who runs the business – is excited about expanding business in the UK.
She said: “In the past, we never had a growth strategy as such – we were always about organic growth. And change can be scary. But we do want to reach out to more customers.
“But we still want to keep things small and exclusive, and we don’t want to be everywhere. We won’t be looking at any further locations in the UK.”
However, Blahnik is expanding his operations in other parts of Europe, after he made a personal appearance at Excelsior Milano, Milan, to fete his brand’s first trunk show at the Milanese luxury department store.
He is also set to fly to Madrid for a photo shoot with Pedro Almodovar by Mario Testino for Vogue Spain, and claims he is “doing a collaboration for an American-European movie”.
