Nicholas Kirkwood Wants to Be Next Louboutin
Everyone from Sarah Jessica Parker to Rihanna to Beyoncé has worn his over-the-top footwear, but Nicholas Kirkwood won’t stop until he’s got the same brand recognition as a certain red-soled shoe.
The German-born, London-based designer is doing things his way, though—he popularized an original “backwards platform,” his next big idea is bucking all things edgy for a more ladylike, floral and bow-bedecked collection.
“That, to me now, seems like the new new,” he told the Wall Street Journal, adding that he also though platforms would be entirely out of style in six months or so.
That platform put Kirkwood on the map a few years ago, when fashion’s taste in shoes skewed toward the wild side. "It was a race to be the craziest," he said. "In runway shows, models were falling all over the place … In some ways, it was the perfect timing for me."
He's got ambition to spare, designing shoes for Rodarte, Erdem, and Prabal Gurung's runways, but Kirkwood said that success by way of name-dropping (think the Sex and the City-sparked Manolo craze) isn’t quite what he wants.
"I'd love to build a business like [Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin]," he said, "but I have to do it my own way."
In related news, get the details on Nicholas Kirkwood's forthcoming U.S. flagship store.
