Twenty Years of Christian Louboutin

Fashion icon Christian Louboutin is celebrating the twentieth year of his red-soled reign over the fashion footwear industry this year, and he has certainly come a long way since the start of his company, Christian Louboutin Ltd.

Since the beginning of his career twenty years ago, Christian Louboutin has successfully built a fashion footwear empire that is one of the most iconic fashion houses in the world. He is known for his bold and elegant stilettos, adorned with any number of materials, from beads and bows to feathers and felt. Each of his shoes has a bright red sole, which has now become synonymous with the Louboutin name.

The pride that Christian Louboutin takes in his work is that of any talented artist. Louboutin’s presence in the industry has multiplied exponentially since 1991, and continues to do so. His impressive designs are a staple in many celebrities’ closets, and he earns upwards of $250 million per year on shoes alone. His first customer was Princess Caroline of Monaco, and from there his client base has exploded to include fashion icons and celebrities such as Madonna, Diane von Furstenburg, Kim Kardashian, Danielle Steel, and Jennifer Lopez.

In celebration of his 20th year of designs, Christian Louboutin has released a special Capsule Collection to celebrate his 20 years of business, now available at christianlouboutin.com. It is home to an array of some of his most loved designs since his start as a designer, as well as sure-to-be instant classics.

His story began with three expulsions from school and his running away from home to live at a friend’s house in Paris’ twelfth arrondissement. He began sketching shoes in his early teens, ignoring his studies, and becoming a permanent figure in many high-end Parisian nightclubs. Louboutin claims his inspiration came from a sign he saw at an African art museum forbidding women to wear sharp stilettos that could cause damage to the floor. He knew at that moment that he wanted his designs to defy normal standards: “I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered.”

Like many great discoveries, the creation of the trademark red sole was nothing more than a mere accident, when one day he unintentionally painted red nail polish on the bottom of one of shoes, and let it become a classic.

In 2011, Christian Louboutin filed a case against Yves Saint-Laurent, another French fashion powerhouse, for infringement upon trademark use of the red sole. In addition to this lawsuit, Louboutin has also had to fight off fraud on the Internet a countless number of times. Thousands of websites claiming to sell real Louboutin designs have been shut down, complete with factory raids and mass destruction of fake merchandise.

Louboutin’s Bow Bow Sandals with a sky-high heel and pink-champagne bows that adorn the front strap are an especially popular  design. Equally as stunning is his Alta Dentelle Boot, with a delicate peep toe and floral lace body. Dozens more designs are included in the Capsule Collection, ranging from hot pink suede sandals to thigh-high black leather boots adorned with bright silver buckles.

Christian Louboutin lives to push the envelope of fashion by incorporating outrageous ideas into his designs. The five-inch and above heels, the bright red soles, and the extravagant colors and adornments, are all evocative of his inspiration and journey to become one of the most respected figures in the fashion world. He has become enormously famous for his loud and stunning designs, as he will be for many years to come.

- Madison Ochs ’14

Posted by admin on May 4, 2012. Filed under Arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry