Manolo Blahnik was born on November 27, 1942 in the Canary Islands. He did not go to school for shoe design. He first worked at a boutique called feathers. He first designed mens saddle shoes when he started to work at Zapata. Ossie Clark asked him to design women's shoes for his collection and thats how he started getting into designing women's shoes. He worked with a shoe manufacturer to better his skills of shoe design. Manolo ended up buying Zapata which was his first shoe store. By the 1980's the Manolo Blahnik shoes distribution was limited to prestigious retailers only. His shoes ended up on top designer runway shows and they got more popular. It was not until they would constantly be talked about on the show Sex and the City that they became so well known that the demand for them exceeded its supply. Now his shoes are known everywhere.
Christian Louboutin was born on January 7, 1963 in France. He went to Academie Roederer for school. His first job in fashion was basically as a freelance designer. Christian first worked with Charles Jourdan. He worked with Roger Vivier and learned more about making shoes from him. He opened his very first store in the 90's after having experience making shoes. He decided to include his red sole in every shoe because of red nail polish. His shoes were known for being sexy and sheik. Christians heels were very successful and branched out into a handbag line in 2003. That handbag line has done great and now even has a mens shoe line. He is now known as one of the top designers on the planet.
Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin have similarities and differences. A similarity is that they both started with a good job in the fashion industry. A difference is that Christian had more knowledge in making shoes than Manolo because he went to school. Another similarity is that they both got to own their own shoe store. Another difference is that Christian branched out to a handbag line which are considered to be classic and elegant. They are both influenced by paris and have had huge success. These are some similarities and differences between these two designers.
Biography
Gessner, Liz. "Blahnik, Manolo." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, 2005. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/view/bazf/bazf00075.xml>.
Shawcross, Rebecca. "High Heels." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, 2005. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://www.bergfashionlibrary.com/view/bazf/bazf00301.xml>.
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Image Biography
Menkes, Suzy. "Manolo Blahnik: The Shoe Sculptor." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/fashion/23iht-rmanolo23.html?_r=0 "Ruffles & Bells." Ruffles Bells. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://rufflesandbells.wordpress.com/tag/manolo-blahnik/>.
"Na Blog.cz." Blog.cz. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://abi.blog.cz/0909/manolo-blahnik>.
"Silhouettes." Christian Louboutin. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://blogs.artinfo.com/silhouettes/tag/christian-louboutin/>.
"Christian Louboutin, Master Shoemaker." The Oracle on Buying. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://patrizia-molechino.360fashion.net/2012/01/christian-louboutin-master-shoemaker.php>.
"V Neck." V Neck 120mm Rouge Lipstick Patent. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013. <http://us.christianlouboutin.com/us_en/shop/women/v-neck.html>.
