11/06/2008
Manolo Blahnik, the favourite Spanish footwear designer of the stars, is opening his first boutique in the prestigious Brown Thomas department store.
Dublin’s prestigious Brown Thomas department store opened an enormous shop-in-shop concession on the 23rd October with over 800m² reserved exclusively for collections by Manolo Blahnik, Spanish footwear designer and a favourite with the stars. A lover of stiletto heels and absolute femininity, the designer presented his autumn/winter 2008/09 collection, inspired by modern riders, at his brand new boutique.
Blahnik attended the store opening in person, saying he was extremely excited about his arrival in the Irish capital, and confessed his love of Georgian architecture, a style that also features strongly in his boutique, although updated with more contemporary details such as the use of steel, glass and elegant wallpaper.
The original way in which Blahnik’s designs are displayed in his stores – sometimes suspended in midair with invisible thread or in transparent vases – makes them works of art. The interior decor used in the boutique has been carefully designed by Kristina Blahnik, the designer’s niece, and Nicholas Leith-Smith, from the architectural firm Data Nature Associates, the team that was also responsible for the interior designs of Blahnik’s stores in Asia.
Following this latest opening, the Spanish designer has now incorporated Ireland into his list of countries with a Blahnik flagship store, a list that includes Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US, Spain, Kuwait, Dubai, Singapore and Turkey.
Manolo Blahnik
Brown Thomas
88 – 95 Grafton Street
Dublin
Ireland
