Manolo Blahnik Spotlights Craft, Adding New Rooms to Virtual Archives
LONDON — Manolo Blahnik is enriching its digital archives with a new, virtual space meant to highlight artistry and artisans.
The space, which was designed by chief executive officer Kristina Blahnik, will launch Tuesday and be called “The Manolo Blahnik Archives, The Craft.”
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It will feature eight vignettes that spotlight the craft process from design to technique to construction. Hundreds of pieces of digital content are meant to offer “unparalleled insight” into the art of shoemaking.
The walls of the virtual space will be covered in the house’s signature polka-dot motif, and the focus of the experience is a replica of the designer’s desk, which leads viewers into various parts of the new space.
Kristina Blahnik described the virtual archives, which launched in 2021, as “a place to celebrate more than five decades of my uncle’s illustrious career,” and said its development has been a passion of hers for many years.
“To finally bring it to life in 2021 was a dream come true. To be adding a further room this year, and highlighting a key pillar of our business, is another milestone I’m incredibly proud of. Craftsmanship really is and always will be at the heart of everything we do,” she said.
Two rooms within the virtual archives have been closed to make way for this new focus on craft, and there are eight key areas: design, construction, typologies, techniques, accessories, materials, making and men’s shoes.
Visitors will be able to follow the making of five different shoe models, one from each decade of Blahnik’s career. They’ll be able to examine components; look closely at embellishments, accessories and embroidery techniques, and delve into the textile research that goes into the various collections.
They will also be able to follow the 60-plus steps that go into making Manolo Blahnik’s bestselling Hangisi style at the brand’s Italian atelier.
The company said a “physical launch” of the new space will be taking place simultaneously in New York and London throughout the month of October.
The Manolo Blahnik virtual experience debuted in 2021 to mark the 50th anniversary of the brand and has attracted more than 1 million visitors to date.
The space subverts the idea of an archive, turning the sketches, designs, history and legacy of the designer into an immersive and interactive experience.
It is part museum, part VIP gallery tour, part pop culture lecture that brings the designer’s work, inspirations and memories to life in a 3D experience that stretches across five separate “rooms.”
Bold, colorful and animated as a Disney production, it has top-notch content and is easy to navigate.
When it launched, Blahnik said he wanted the archive to be a space “where others can learn and feel inspired to create. It’s very important to me personally that even those who can’t buy my shoes are able to feel a connection to Manolo Blahnik and who we are.”
“It has been such a joy to relive some of the magnificent moments in my career and uncover things I have not thought about — or seen — for years! Also, to celebrate the team behind Manolo Blahnik is very special to me, none of this would be possible without them,” he said.
This year has been one of change, and renewal, for Manolo Blahnik.
The addition of The Craft rooms comes just weeks after the company moved into its new home in Mayfair at 31 Old Burlington Street, a few steps from the brand’s shops in Burlington Arcade.
The six-floor town house spans 14,500 square feet and dates to the early Georgian era, an historical period beloved by the house’s founder Manolo Blahnik, who lives part time in Bath, a capital of Georgian architecture.
According to market sources, the company acquired the property for 35 million pounds, although it has not confirmed the price.
As reported earlier this week, the company marked a milestone year in 2022, with sales rising 69 percent to 118.2 million euros and pretax profit more than tripling to 21.9 million euros.
Kristina Blahnik, the chief executive officer who has been spearheading that growth, said the company thanked its employees by handing out more than 1 million euros in bonuses in November.
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