Manolo Blahnik doesn't consider himself to be a designer. The iconic footwear maker says he doesn't regard his work as a job as he loves creating shoes and is fortunate he can get paid for it.

"Designing makes me feel 'up.' We used to say 'high' in the 1970s. I don't consider myself a fashion designer. I just do shoes that I love. It's selfish. But this is what I love to do!" he said.

Manolo also says he has no plans to retire, despite him nearly being 70, but says he is now designing shoes more slowly: "In a year's time I'll be 70. And it makes me happy that Armani is 80 because I'm not going to be retiring! I do and re-do things that I used to do in a flash, because I want to be more perfectionist about these things. Maybe it sounds pompous and pretentious, but that's the way I feel."

While he takes time and pride in his designs, Manolo admits he was horrified when he saw two women wearing counterfeits of his shoes when he was in Milan. "They were unmistakably my design but in a wonderful color I had never seen before. So I asked: 'Where did you get your shoes?' 'Manolo Blahnik.' I said: 'No, my dear: these are not Manolo, these are plastic! With a horrid little plastic buckle!'"