Manolo Blahnik, whose shoes appear in top runway collections as well as in the world’s most glamorous fashion magazines, is one of the few designers whose name is synonymous with their product. He is solely responsible for the design and prototype of every shoe, chiselling the wooden lasts on which they are moulded and carving the heels himself, once declaring ‘I’m king of the scissors.’ (O’Keefe, Linda, 'Shoes: A Celebration of Pumps, Sandals, Slippers and More', New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.).

Blahnik relished the opportunity to solve the problem of the foot and the difficulty in achieving the proper balance between comfort, quality and design; yet he has achieved exactly that without any formal training in shoe-making. Each Blahnik shoe goes through about fifty different production processes, so his factory in Parabiago, Italy, turns out only about eighty pairs a day. His consummate workmanship and whimsical aesthetic are evident in this green suede sandal created for Ossie Clark’s catwalk show. This was shortly before Blahnik opened his first boutique in London in 1973. The shoe was re-made for the Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition on Ossie Clark which ran from 15 July 2003 to 2 May 2004.