Nicholas Kirkwood footwear designer of the year 2011

He received the award last wednesday November 29 at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.

Photo By Courtesy of Nicholas Kirkwood

The 31-year-old designer graduated from Central Saint Martins and Cordwainers college in London and launched his eponymous shoe collection in 2005. Kirkwood claimed his first Footwear Designer of the Year award in 2008.

He has 130 outlets worldwide, including Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

For the past seven years, the fashion elite enthusiastically embraced Nicholas Kirkwood and helped to his rise to footwear stardom. This year he reached a larger audience thanks to an expanded offering, his first branded boutique in London and his expanding list of celebrity clients, including Beyoncé, Julianne Moore, Rihanna and Gwyneth Paltrow. Besides his own shop in London, Kirkwood will open a second office in New York in spring 2012.

Since last fall Kirkwood also works as a creative director at Pollini, an Italian shoe and accessories brand.