FASHION
01 Christian Louboutin, credited with bringing the stiletto back into fashion with designs featuring jewel-encrusted high heels, bows and that undeniable, often copied but never matched, red sole.
Oh La La Louboutin SIOBHÁN CORLEY
Just a flash of that undeniable red sole is enough to make every woman in the room catch her breath. Such is the effect that Christian Louboutin’s expertly crafted range of women’s shoes has on the female POPULATION. His designs are much loved by the glitterati and coveted the world over. But what is it about his unique footwear that make our hearts skip a beat?
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02 Sweet Charity Large Leopard handbag. This year Christian Louboutin is focusing on increasing his handbag range. 03 Sky high heels are Louboutin’s specialty and are instantly recognizable from the patent red soles. This pair, Toutenkaboucle, is from the Spring Summer 2011 collection. 04 The recently opened Christian Louboutin concession at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bahrain City Centre. 05 Christian Louboutin also features flat sandals in his collections for those searching for comfortable shoes, perfect for a hot summer’s day.
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y life is a succession of fortuitous coincidences - reflects Christian Louboutin on the success that has made him into an icon of women’s fashion. But looking back on his illustrious career it becomes apparent that his glowing reputation in the industry is down to much more than coincidence. Born in 1964 in a working class neighborhood in Paris, Louboutin was brought up by his mother and three sisters. It was the influence of this feminine environment that he credits for inspiring much of his work. The story behind Louboutin’s trademark shoes originates at the unlikely Museum of African Art. Far from discovering a piece of ancient art, what caught the young Louboutin’s attention was an image of a high and sharp heeled 1950’s shoe, crossed out with a striking red line. This simple image was aimed at women, informing them that high heels were not permitted on the museum’s parquet floor. What drew Louboutin’s eye and captivated him was the shape of the shoe. For this was the 1970’s, the era of the flat pumps and the clunky platform heel. It’s an image that stayed with him for many years to come.
Several years later, still too young to sample the city’s vibrant á la mode nightlife, Louboutin began to visit the music halls and theatres by day and became fascinated by the glittering world of entertainment. Inspired by the dancers’ costumes he started to sketch shoe designs of sophisticated stiletto heels at just sixteen years of age, his illustrations even peaked the interest of his subjects. It was this admiration of show business glamour that led to Louboutin being offered an apprenticeship at the infamous Folies Bergeres theatre in 1980. Two colorful years later he moved to Charles Jourdan at Romans, who then created shoes for the house of Christian Dior. It was a prestigious name to add to a growing repertoire of experience. Several freelance opportunities for various influential design houses followed. But despite this, Louboutin slowed down to try a different career path, becoming a landscape gardener and a contributor to Vogue. It wasn’t long before the soon to be renowned fashion designer missed creating shoes. With the help of two friends Christian Louboutin opened his first boutique in 1992.
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06 Maykimay clutch from the Winter 2011 collection. Celebrity Louboutin fans include Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham, to name but a few.
High heels really compliment a woman’s body, changing her body language so that she feels empowered.
07 Covering 52 square meters, the Louboutin concession is enclosed in a bespoke glass shelving display, which provides a pedestal for each exquisite shoe. It’s a true haven for shoe lovers in Bahrain. 08 Lili Marlene, the epitome of glamour and extravagance.
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A mere four months after opening an American journalist from W Magazine unearthed Louboutin’s boutique and beautiful shoes following a rave review from none other than Princess Caroline of Monaco. In a matter of weeks Louboutin had brought the stiletto back into fashion and to this day he continues to design shoes that attract and entice women from all walks of life. Best known for his dressier evening designs with jewel-encrusted high heels, bows, feathers and patent leather and that undeniable, often copied but never matched, red sole. These shoes are pure luxury and it’s no surprise that many a celebrity have become fans. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham, to name but a few, can be found wearing Louboutins on the red carpet. Christian Louboutin has collaborated with many notable designers over the years, most memorable being Yves Saint Laurent himself. Louboutin has been the only designer to be granted such an honor. He finds much of his inspiration today through travel. By visiting
many diverse countries, particularly those in the Orient, he garners ideas and examples from far flung lands. Likewise, his passion for art has never died, for which he has a grand appreciation in all its forms. Today, the Louboutin brand can be found in forty six countries in world-famous department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols and Bergdorf Goodman. The recent opening of a Louboutin concession at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bahrain City Centre makes his designs even more accessible. Covering 52 square meters, the space is enclosed in a bespoke glass shelving display, which provides a pedestal for each exquisite shoe. It’s a true haven for shoe lovers in Bahrain. Despite the international acclaim for his shoes, Louboutin ensures that each pair is still fabricated in Italy and designed in his own design studio in Paris. But there is only one underlying similarity amongst all of his designs. It originates with that first simple image of the 1950’s shoe in the Museum of African Art and its incarnation in Louboutin’s unforgettable red sole.
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09 Louboutin’s inspiration comes from drawing and sketching which he has been doing since a young age. 10 Palais Royal Rouge et Noir clutch from the Winter 2011 collection. 11 Passiflore Satin Cramberry from the Winter 2011 collection. Louboutin ensures that each pair is still fabricated in Italy and designed in his own studio in Paris.
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In an exclusive interview with Christian Louboutin, Durrah discovers the mystery behind his stunning and captivating show collections. Where did your passion for stilettos come from? Well it basically came from my passion for showgirls. I was born in Paris and as a child my favorite thing to do was to sneak into the showgirl concerts, where I was in awe of the beauty and the musical rhythms. I soon became an expert and knew the name of every dancer and show in Paris. To me a showgirl is a bird of paradise in high heels. You are credited with bringing stiletto’s back into fashion in the mid 90’s, what would you say was the turning point in your career? I guess the turning point was when great performance artists started to wear my designs. It wasn’t a turning point per say but things changed when those in the music industry and Hollywood started wearing my designs. You have collaborated with many fashion designers through the years.
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What was it like working with such talented designers at a relatively early point in your career? It’s always great because it gives me a very different perspective of fashion. When I work with fashion designers it’s not always about the small details, it involves a complete line in a new collection. At a fashion show the details will not be visible; you are showing the full line and the shoes will either feature strongly or just disappear. When I do a collaboration I have to be dedicated to working with that person. As I am used to just working for myself it’s a big challenge but also a huge honor to work with such talented people. How do you source you ideas for each new collection? It just comes naturally, from drawing and sketching. At the moment I am in Rio working on the Summer 2012 collection, but that doesn’t mean it will be all palm trees and coconuts, the influences are deeper than that. Everything you see can inspire
me but there is always a long moment of digestion before the designs can begin. I have been drawing from a very young age and strangely enough I can only draw shoes. If you ask me to draw an apple I can’t do it! Why do you think women have such an attachment to shoes, especially high heels? High heels really compliment a woman’s body, changing her body language so that she feels empowered. The high heel projects the body in a different way to wearing flat shoes because it makes a woman move and walk differently. They improve a woman’s posture because in high heels you must walk straight, which in turn gives the body a different attitude and much more confidence. How would you describe the Louboutin woman? There are many Louboutin women but if I had to choose I would say the Louboutin woman is
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someone who loves being a woman and enjoys playing with all the facets of her femininity. What type of designs do your Middle Eastern clients prefer? For a reason that I can’t explain they really like platforms. They also love sandals, particularly ornamental sandals. I find they don’t really like pumps or a closed shoe. The heels can also never be high enough, which is just like Californian women. Actually Middle Eastern women are quite like Californian women in that sense. I also find that metallic and dark colors are more popular there. What are your plans for your brand over the next decade? Well it’s a question I am asking myself at the moment because I am working on my 20th anniversary book and I am looking to the future. I am a little superstitious to talk too much about future plans but there are plenty of things we are working on. I do not want to become a huge global brand but there are new elements that will
be added. We are focusing on new areas such as handbags and men’s shoes, in fact we are opening a new men’s store in Paris at the end of May. There is also another element that I am too superstitious to talk about now but at the end of the year it will be ready. The Louboutin concession has recently opened at Saks 5th Avenue Bahrain, further cementing the success of your brand. Can you tell us a bit about the concept? Basically I like things that are open and inviting, yet when you are inside you also feel protected. This became the basis of the idea for the concession. I am a person of life; I guess you could say my persona is that of a day person, so I like things that are friendly and inviting but safe at the same time. I also wanted to mix both classical elements of our brand DNA with elements that are suitable for Bahrain and our customers. It is a very welcoming space while being enclosed enough to allow customers to view the collections in private.
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