Fashion designer Christian Louboutin has developed an international following for his distinctive red-soled footwear. But he happened on his life's passion by accident: all it took was a trip to a museum where he saw a sign indicating that high heel shoes were not permitted there. “I was totally fascinated by that sign. I'd never seen shoes like that”…
Born in Paris, in 1963, Christian Louboutin had little interest in school growing up. He was the youngest child born to a cabinetmaker and a stay-at-home mother. His father wasn't around much so Louboutin spent a lot of his early years in the company of his mother and three sisters. He first started dreaming up fantastical footwear in his early teens.
BEGINNING OF THE CAREER
Expelled from school at age 16, Louboutin soon went to work at the famed Parisian cabaret Folies Bergère. He did all sorts of jobs for the dancers, including fulfilling his personal dream of creating shoes for them. Louboutin then learned the ins and outs of the shoe business when he landed a job with Charles Jourdan in the early 1980s. After working as a freelance designer for a time, Louboutin set up his own shop in Paris in the early 1990s.
RED SOLES
Louboutin found the inspiration for his trademark red outer soles in 1993. “My assistant was sitting there, painting her nails red. I took one look and decided to color my soles red as a statement for the season”. And so the bright red became the signature color of Louboutin. “The shiny red color of the soles has no function other than to identify to the public that the heels are made by Louboutin. I selected the color because it is engaging, flirtatious, memorable, and the color of passion”.
His artistic yet sexy shoes soon attracted the likes of Princess Caroline of Monaco, one of his early customers. Madonna wore his dangerously high heels in some of her videos, helping to introduce the world to Louboutin.The now famous Louboutins are worn by famous designers like Diane von Fürstenberg, and many celebs such as Beyoncé, Mila Kunis and Kim Kardashian. Nowadays Christian Louboutin is the most searched for shoe brand online!
LATER SUCCESSES
Over the years, Louboutin has turned his surrealistically beautiful shoes into an international success story. According to The New Yorker, he sells more than 500,000 pairs of his fabulous footwear each year. The cost of getting a pair of Louboutins can range from nearly $400 up to $6,000. Louboutin has stores around the world in addition to his Paris headquarters.
In addition to women's shoes, Louboutin has worked to expand his reach in fashion. He branched out into handbags in 2003, launched a line of men's shoes in 2011 and has since introduced his nail polish, lipstick and fragrances.
Outside of his fashion empire, Louboutin has taken on some creative challenges. He worked with director David Lynch on a photo exhibit in 2007. In 2012, Louboutin helped design many elements of Feu, or "Fire," a show at the legendary Parisian club Crazy Horse.
