Amina Muaddi vs Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Aquazzura
Amina Muaddi vs Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Aquazzura
Amina Muaddi versus Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Aquazzura is the comparison most people make when they are buying one good pair of evening shoes and want to know where the youngest house sits against three established ones. The short answer: the other three sit on a classic stiletto and are each known for a single pump, and in one case a sandal; Amina Muaddi is the one with a different heel, the flared cone, and a slipper rather than a pump at its centre. This page sets the four side by side on origin, signature shoe, heel and age, then says which to buy for what.
Key facts
- Amina Muaddi (Paris, 2018) is the youngest of the four; Manolo Blahnik opened his first London shop in 1973, Jimmy Choo was co-founded in London in 1996, Aquazzura launched in Florence in 2011.
- Each house is known for one shoe: the Gilda and Begum, the Hangisi with its crystal buckle (2008), the Jimmy Choo evening sandal, the Aquazzura Wild Thing.
- All four make in Italy; only Amina Muaddi builds on a flared heel, the other three on a classic stiletto.
- Amina Muaddi shoes at Luxury Handbags run $1,200 to $2,850, median $1,550.
Side by side
| Amina Muaddi | Manolo Blahnik | Jimmy Choo | Aquazzura | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | Paris, August 2018 | London, 1973, first shop on Old Church Street, Chelsea | London, 1996, by Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon | Florence, 2011, by Edgardo Osorio |
| Signature | The flared signature heel; the Gilda, Lupita and Begum | The Hangisi pump with its crystal buckle, launched for spring 2008 and worn in the Sex and the City film | The Romy pump and the evening sandal in glitter and satin | The Wild Thing fringed suede sandal; the pineapple on the sole |
| Heel | Flared cone at the base, 95, 70 and 45 mm | The slim classic stiletto Blahnik revived; the Hangisi also as a 70 mm and a flat | Classic stiletto, 85 to 100 mm on the evening styles | Classic stiletto and a 105 mm sandal heel |
| Made in | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy |
| Age of the house | 8 years | 53 years | 30 years | 15 years |
Manolo Blahnik
Blahnik, born in the Canary Islands in 1942, opened his first shop in Chelsea in 1973 and is the house that revived the slim stiletto. The Hangisi, a satin pump with a crystal buckle, launched for spring 2008 and became the shoe of the year after the Sex and the City film. Against it, an Amina Muaddi Begum is the same idea, a pointed pump with a crystal at the toe, on a different heel: the Hangisi is a straight stiletto and the Begum a flared one, and the Begum is a slingback. Blahnik is the classic; Muaddi is the one that walks differently.
Jimmy Choo
Co-founded in London in 1996 by the couture shoemaker Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon, then an accessories editor at British Vogue, the house is the evening-sandal name of the red carpet, in glitter, satin and crystals on a classic stiletto. Against it, an Amina Muaddi Gilda is a satin sandal with crystals too, but on the flared heel with an ankle strap, and the Lupita slipper has no Jimmy Choo equivalent.
Aquazzura
Edgardo Osorio launched Aquazzura in Florence in 2011, and the Wild Thing, a fringed suede sandal, made the name; a pineapple sits on every sole. It is the house for a strappy, playful sandal on a classic heel. Against it, the Amina Muaddi Gigi and Juliette are the summer sandals, on the 45 mm mini signature heel, and the Lupita is the mule Aquazzura does not make.
Which to buy
Manolo Blahnik for the classic pump and the Hangisi; Jimmy Choo for the glitter evening sandal; Aquazzura for the fringed summer sandal; Amina Muaddi for the flared heel, the satin slipper and a shoe that is younger than the other three and looks it. At Luxury Handbags the Amina Muaddi range runs $1,200 to $2,850, in the collection, with the sizing guide alongside; the Mach and Mach comparison covers the other crystal house.
More Amina Muaddi guides
Who is Amina Muaddi?, Amina Muaddi and Rihanna, Every style explained, The Lupita, The Gilda, The Begum, The Holli, The Alexa, The Anok, The Dalida platform, The Camelia, The Gigi and Juliette, The Glass PVC shoes, The bags, Sizing guide, Are they comfortable?, Price guide, Where to buy, Sale and outlet, Real vs fake, Wedding shoes, How to style, Black heels, White and ivory, Silver and crystal, Nude heels, Brands like Amina Muaddi, The 2026 edit, Heel heights, Materials and care, Glossary, History timeline, vs Mach and Mach.
Frequently asked questions
Is Amina Muaddi better than Manolo Blahnik?
Different. Blahnik is the classic slim stiletto and the Hangisi pump; Amina Muaddi is the flared heel and the satin slipper. Buy Blahnik for the classic and Muaddi for a heel that stands wider and a shoe that goes from day to evening.
Is Amina Muaddi similar to Jimmy Choo?
Both make satin and crystal evening shoes in Italy; Jimmy Choo on a classic stiletto with a sandal at its centre, Amina Muaddi on the flared heel with a slipper at its centre.
Amina Muaddi and Aquazzura: which for a summer sandal?
Aquazzura for the fringed Wild Thing on a classic heel; Amina Muaddi for the Gigi and Juliette on the 45 mm mini signature heel, and for the Lupita mule.
Which is the oldest house?
Manolo Blahnik, whose first shop opened in London in 1973; Jimmy Choo followed in 1996, Aquazzura in 2011 and Amina Muaddi in 2018.
Are all four made in Italy?
Yes.
Which is the most expensive?
They overlap. Amina Muaddi shoes at Luxury Handbags run $1,200 to $2,850 with a median of $1,550; the other three price their core pumps and sandals in a similar band at their own stores.
Sources and method
Checked on 17 September 2026 by Gemma Deeks, fashion editor at Luxury Shoes . Product facts, the heel heights, compositions, dimensions and the fits-true-to-size lines, come from the house’s own product pages; the sizing advice is quoted from the house FAQ; the biography and the dates come from the Wikipedia article on Amina Muaddi and its sources; prices and counts are Luxury Shoes ’s live catalogue on the date above and move with stock. Where a claim could not be checked against one of these it was left out.
- Amina Muaddi FAQ: sizing advice, made in Italy, warehouse in Italy
- Amina Muaddi product pages: heel heights, compositions, dimensions, fit lines
- Amina Muaddi on Wikipedia: biography, Oscar Tiye, Fenty, AWGE, awards
- Wikidata Q107479558
- Jimmy Choo (fashion house) on Wikipedia
- Manolo Blahnik: the Hangisi
- Luxury Handbags live catalogue, 17 September 2026: prices and stock
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