Christian Louboutin is known for the signature red soles. His to-die-for shoes are worn by famous women all over the world and you can’t imagine a red carpet moment without some Louboutin Heels. More than 500.000 pairs of his footwear are sold each year and the cost can range from 400$ up to 6.000$. But what makes him so successful and why do women spend so much money on a pair of shoes?
Born in France in 1963, Christian Louboutin was the youngest child and spent most of his time in the company of his mother and three sisters. After leaving school at the age of 16, Louboutin went to work at the Parisian cabaret Folies Bergère. He fulfilled his dream of creating shoes for the dancers and after working as a freelance designer for some time and creating shoes for popular names such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, Louboutin started his first shop in Paris in the early 1990’s. Find our selection of Christian Louboutin here!
Over the years Louboutin set his mark in the world of fashion, especially once Madonna and Princess Caroline of Monaco started supporting his signature designs. Even though Louboutin shoes are very famous today, we'd bet there are still some facts you don't know about this coveted designer shoe!
10 FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LOUBOUTIN
1. Louboutin Manicure
Christian Louboutin’s shoe designs are known for the red soles. He found his inspiration for this signature look in an employee painting her nails in red. When he saw it he thought that red soles would be so flirtatious and decided to colour them like that as a statement for the season – and that’s the story behind the most famous fashion must-have ever! The sexy shoes attracted Princess Caroline of Monaco and Madonna and after introducing the world to the Louboutin design it’s not just a „statement for the season“ anymore. After all painting the underside of the fingernail tip in red and the top in black is called the „Louboutin manicure“ now.
2. Blue Soles
Enough with red soles. Did you know that Louboutin shoes were available with baby blue soles for a short time? He decided to provide the „something blue“ for brides-to-be and you could only get them via special order!
3. Inspiration
The fist shoes Christian Louboutin ever designed were inspired by a famous image of Princess Diana sitting in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992. Christian Louboutin remembers Diana looking at her feet with a sad face and it inspired him to create something that would make her smile again while looking down. So he created a pair of flat suede pumps with the letters „LO“ on the left foot and „VE“ on the right in his signature red!
4. Boutique
Have you ever been to a Christian Louboutin boutique? If so, it’s cool to know that every Louboutin boutique is different, but they have one thing in common: Christian Louboutin himself designed each and every boutique in the world! Louboutin currently has seven boutiques in the US including New York, California, Las Vegas, Miami and Dallas. You can find other boutiques at hotspots such as Paris, London, Moscow, Hong Kong, Japan, Lebanon, Australia, Brazil and Dubai!
5. How the story began
Louboutin found his calling by accident. While visiting the Musée national des Arts d’Afrique de D’Oceanie at the age of 13 he discovered his interest for shoes after reading a sign indicating that high heeled shoes were not permitted there. He had never seen a shoe like this before and was totally fascinated by the look!
6. Finding new ideas
Christian Louboutin owns over 100 pairs of shoes alone in his Paris home (he has four all around the world) and often feels he doesn’t have the perfect shoes for every occasion. This is great, because it inspires him to create new designs!
7. Louboutin for everyone?
The answer is „no". Christian Louboutin will never consider doing a lower-priced line. He has been asked many times, but for him a lower-priced line would have to compromise on quality and Louboutin would never put his name on a design he wouldn’t be proud of!
8. „So Kate“ Heels
Louboutin’s „So Kate“ Heels were inspired by Kate Moss, while he was fitting her shoes for her wedding celebrations. As Kate Moss owns countless pairs of the famous „Pigalle“ heels Louboutin decided to make the shoe perfect for her: he reshaped it, lengthened the point of the toe, made the heel pin-thick and higher and closed the heel a little more.
9. Louboutin designing gardens?
After completing his work with famous shoe designer Roger Vivier in 1989, Christian Louboutin left the fashion business. He started working as a landscape designer, but returned to fashion in 1992 with his own shoe collection.
10. Louboutin’s Weakness?
Books and colourful ties. But he is never actually seen wearing them. In an interview with Financial Times’ How to Spend It magazine, Christian Louboutin admitted that he loves buying a few new ties every time he goes shopping. His favourite place to go is Charvet on Place Vendome because there you can find the most colourful ties and for him it is like looking at a lovely garden.
„I have tons at home and I’m perfectly happy not to wear them.“