FOR Fall 2026, Balenciaga has announced its first collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, drawing on the shared Spanish heritage of Blahnik and Cristóbal Balenciaga.
Directed by Balenciaga’s Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the collaboration offers three styles selected from Blahnik’s archive and reinterpreted through Balenciaga’s architectural approach.
Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik says of the Spanish house and this partnership, “Don Cristóbal Balenciaga is, to me, the ultimate designer. I have adored his work for as long as I can remember. As a Mediterranean boy myself, I have always felt a deep connection to his Spanish culture and sensibility.”
He continues: “To be partnering with Balenciaga, and with Pierpaolo, fulfils a lifelong dream. Pierpaolo’s direction for Balenciaga resonates profoundly with my own ideas of how the modern woman should dress in 2026, a vision of timeless elegance rooted in craftsmanship and enduring beauty.”
The collection comprises a low-heeled mule and a slingback in either a 50mm or 105mm heel. Each style features a décolleté cut that reveals the foot, a recurring theme in both Blahnik’s work and Piccioli’s look at Balenciaga. Crafted in silk satin, the shoes are presented in a range of colours and finished with Balenciaga’s signature grey lining.
Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik
Balenciaga x Manolo Blahnik
Surface decoration comes in the form of crystal embroidery, nodding to Blahnik’s long-standing interest in embellishment, and archival pieces. It also pays homage to the bijoux created by Cristóbal Balenciaga in the ’60s, linking archive and contemporary design.
Kristina Blahnik, CEO, adds, “To see Manolo’s work enter into a dialogue with Balenciaga is incredibly special. This collaboration speaks to the artistry of shoemaking and the power of creative exchange, where heritage becomes a foundation for innovation, and the result feels both timeless and incredibly modern.”
by Felicity Carter