After debuting a collection for Puma at New York Fashion Week last month, Rihanna now has a very different footwear collaboration in the works — with none other than Manolo Blahnik.
The denim-driven collection, Rihanna x Manolo Blahnik, will debut May 5. It features sequins and embroidery influenced by Rihanna’s hand tattoos. They appear on designs including thigh-high boots and an open-toe sandal. The limited-edition capsule collection includes six styles, a selection of sandals, pumps and boots. Prices range from 541.67 pounds, or $767, to 2,458.33 pounds, or $3,483.50.
The collection will be sold at Manolo Blahnik’s stores in London, New York and Hong Kong.
Watch on FN
“The day I see a woman in the street wearing my shoes…I am sorry for that woman because I’m going to literally run after her, shouting, ‘Stop! Selfie! Who are you? Where did you get them?’ I’m going to have a moment!” said Rihanna.
We already knew that Rihanna and Manolo were quite taken with each other. On the evening of her Puma show, she told FN: “I enjoy everything about Manolo. He is such an incredible human being. He’s so fun to work with and I was blessed with the opportunity to see him create from scratch. He’s so passionate about what he does and it makes it so worth it when you buy or wear a pair of his shoes because you know what went into it. He’s not copy and paste. He’s not letting anyone do his work. He has a small team as well. He still loves everything about shoes, and it’s so refreshing.”
Last year, in our most recent profile of the designer, Blahnik said of Rihanna: “[She is] the only person I love with a tattoo. I was sitting at a table with her [at the British Fashion Awards] and was so impressed. She looks like Grace Kelly. She’s just so beautiful, so polite.”
Separately, Rihanna will appear on the cover of British Vogue’s April issue, which hits newsstands next Thursday. The cover was photographed by Craig Dean and styled by Kate Phelan.
She’s wearing a denim Alexander McQueen coat, Isabel Marant knitted hot pants, and denim chap boots from the Rihanna x Manolo Blahnik collection.
This has been a major few months for Blahnik, who opened his second London store at the Burlington Arcade last month, and is the star of a documentary feature film being made by Michael Roberts.
Rihanna is certainly no stranger to brand collaborations. She was named the “most marketable celebrity” according to data from The NPD Group and became Puma’s creative director in 2014. She’s a brand ambassador for Dior, has worked with MAC Cosmetics, and designed a collection for River Island.
— By Lorelei Marfil
