Manolo Blahnik unveils American-heritage capsule for Saks and Neiman Marcus

Manolo Blahnik unveiled four exclusive styles for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, splitting the capsule into two pairs that give each retailer its own version of Americana. The shoes leaned on gingham, crisp whites and saturated reds, with the Camparinew pump and Ballerimu mule coming in red for Saks Fifth Avenue and black for Neiman Marcus.

The timing gave the launch extra polish. Built around America’s birthday and the country’s 250th anniversary weekend, the collection treated patriotic dressing less like a novelty and more like a luxury code, filtering familiar red-white-and-blue references through a house known for sharp silhouettes and formal glamour. The result was not a broad seasonal assortment but a tightly edited retail statement, one that kept the message narrow and the product count low.

Jodi Kahn, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags and accessories for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, said Manolo Blahnik has “always had a connection with American style and glamour.” She added that the partnership reflects a shared commitment to delivering the extraordinary for the U.S. luxury customer. That language matters because the shoe story is also a retail story: old-guard department stores are still using exclusivity, not volume, to signal prestige.

The partnership was already visible on the retailers’ sites, where Saks carried the Camperinew Gingham Bow-Detail Mules and Neiman Marcus stocked the Camparinew Gingham Mary Jane Pumps and Ballerimu Gingham Mules. Those existing exclusives reinforce the strategy behind the holiday drop. Saks and Neiman Marcus are not simply selling Manolo Blahnik; they are helping frame the brand as a controlled, collectible proposition, with each store getting its own version of the same heritage language.

That positioning makes sense for a designer whose history is deeply tied to American fashion culture. Manolo Blahnik founded his eponymous label in 1970 in Chelsea, London, after a New York meeting with Diana Vreeland in 1969 or 1970, when the Vogue editor urged him to focus on shoes. His first American collection followed in 1977, reached Bloomingdale’s in 1978, and led to his first U.S. boutique in 1979. More than four decades later, the new capsule reads as a continuation of that transatlantic relationship, with heritage luxury and legacy retail still working in lockstep.