British shoe maestro - and this year's ELLE Style Awards Accessory Designer winner - Nicholas Kirkwood is today celebrating LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton taking a majority stake in his business.

It’s the latest in a flurry of acquisitions that’s seen Kering (formerly PPR) acquire stakes in Christopher Kane and NY wunderkind Altuzarra. LVMH is also said to be eyeing Kirkwood’s Brit peer JW Anderson.

Speaking to WWD, Kirkwood said that the investment – the size and terms of which have not been disclosed – would allow him to ‘focus on doing the creative, and really be able to explore new things’.

‘The next step will probably be handbags, but I have no timelines to do that,’ he added.

Since the launch of his business in 2005, the Central Saint Martins and Cordwainers alumnus’ sculptural designs have become a red carpet staple, regularly worn by the likes of Diane Kruger, Alexa Chung and Miranda Kerr.

He has also been creative director of Pollini since 2010; little wonder that support from a conglomerate such as LVMH is something he terms ‘essential’ to growing his own business.