Christian Louboutin: The Art of the Red Sole

July 1, 2008

In 1979, as he was walking in Paris, he noticed a sign warning female tourists not to scratch the wooden floor in front of the Museum of Oceanic Art.

Louboutin felt bothered by this sign and, as a consequence, he began designing women’s shoes with compressed buckles and soft soles. He now admits having had a small obsession as a teenage, spending a lot of time drawing shoes in his school notebooks which would meet the entrance criteria for the Museum. These designs would later become the basis for Louboutin’s sales as a designer.

Louboutin attended parties in Paris, attempting to sell his designs and creations to the women in attendance. Most rejected his shoes, claiming to have no money or unable to afford his designs.

Louboutin then attended design schools, such as Chanel’s and Saint Laurent’s schools for design.

Christian Louboutin Biography

Louboutin opened his first boutique shop in Paris; his store became known not only because of his affluent clientele, but because he served free espresso to his visitors. American companies like Neiman Marcus began to sell Louboutin’s designs.

Louboutin’s trademark red leather soles actually stemmed from an idea from one of his employees. During a runway show Louboutin felt the shoe was missing something and saw that one of his employees had red Chanel nail polish on, and instantly, he felt that it would complete the shoe if he painted it on the sole. Since then it became the signature of his shoes.

Louboutin is now a well known designer around the world. He has been interviewed by fashion reporters such as Jacques Brunel. He includes Princess Caroline of Monaco and Catherine Deneuve among his friends.

Britney Spears has been spotted wearing Louboutin shoes while clubbing in Los Angeles and at various court dates for her custody battle. Christina Aguilera is also a fan of Louboutin’s creations, often to be seen wearing them to events, and during her recent Back To Basics tour. Madonna wore Christian’s black patent leather studded mary-janes in her Live Earth performance. Celebrities ranging from Angelina Jolie to Mariah Carey are all fans of Christian Louboutin shoes and many celebrities are now choosing his shoes as their red carpet accessories. Angelina Jolie has favoured his designs on almost all red carpet appearances. In her new movie ‘Wanted’ Angelina Jolie dons a pair as the assassin ‘fox’, these beige round-toed louboutins are from her personal collection. christian-louboutin-beige-round-toe-wanted2

Kylie Minogue wore Christian Louboutin shoes in her “2 Hearts” video, the distinctive soles are plainly visible when she dances on the piano. Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki is also a fan of the brand, seen wearing platform peep-toe Louboutins in basic colors such as nude and black, as well as rhinestone pumps in a photo shoot for Sweet magazine.

Filed Under Celebrity Shoes, Christian Louboutin, Designer Profiles, Peep Toe Pumps, Shoe Designer Interviews · Leave a Comment