Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez born 27 November 1942, is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the eponymous high-end shoe brand. He never studied shoe making formally but by visiting shoe factories and talking to pattern cutters, technicians and machine operators. At first, he designed men's footwear, but he immediately found that men's shoes design limited his imagination and lacked the element of fashion. When mainstream shoe style was still dominated by clunky platforms in the 1970s, he revived the sleek stiletto heel, which has since become a classic. Also, he dislikes wedges and believes in the power of heels and the sex appeal they convey.