IF SPANISH DESIGNER MANOLO Blahnik was considered a shoe prophet by those in the know, he became a veritable footwear messiah when he 'met' Carrie Bradshaw. Sarah Jessica Parker's character from the hit series Sex and the City had a long-standing obsession with his shoes and made him a household name. She also made the royal blue Hangisi pump famous when Mr Big finally proposed to her in the movie version of the TV show.

Blahnik's career kicked off in 1971 when US Vogue's then-editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland praised his sketches and encouraged him to take it further, "You should concentrate on shoes," she famously told him and he's never looked back since. He's since collaborated with some of fashion's most prolific designers - from Calvin Klein to Perry Ellis, Ossie Clark, Alaia, John Galliano and, most recently, Demna Gvasalia of Vetements.

His name is synonymous with glamour and beauty, notably his signature sparkling stilettos and jewel-encrusted mules. He sees no reason to change either. "My designs evolve when they need to," he says. "I do not compromise with fashion desires. I never follow trends. It's not my nature." Even when the world was into platforms, he stuck to his slender sole aesthetic because he hated platforms. Despite his non-conformist ways, he's stayed firmly on the fashion radar, and has been on a high for the past few years.