Shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood's 10th anniversary collection pays tribute to 1980s arcade culture and action heroes
The British footwear maven returns to his gravity-defying roots with his 10th anniversary collection
When British designer Nicholas Kirkwood first appeared on the scene back in 2005 he was lauded as the hottest designer to enter the footwear industry since Manolo Blahnik. He was young, fresh faced and in-demand thanks to his sculptural, gravity-defying heels that encouraged women to start dressing from the feet up and let their shoes do the talking.
"When I started, everyone only ever talked about Manolo Blahnik," says the designer, recently in Hong Kong to launch his 10th anniversary collection at On Pedder.
"It wasn't that he had a monopoly, but so many people were using his aesthetic as their own. That's why I wanted to do something different - to give shoes another angle, make them showstoppers."
A lot has changed since then. For one, the industry has experienced a renaissance, as shoes have become the new must-have item and an untapped source of revenue for many brands and designers.
This brought an explosion of creativity in the market, paving the way for a new generation of talent including Paul Andrew and Sophia Webster.