Christian Louboutin (born 1964) is a footwear designer who launched his line of high-end women's shoes in France in 1991. Since 1992, his designs have incorporated the shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. On March 27, 2007, Christian Louboutin filed an application for U.S. trademark protection of this red sole design.
Biography
As a child, Louboutin would regularly sneak out of school, from the age of 12, to watch the showgirls at some Paris nightclubs, because he was fascinated by their costumes, and cites this as his main inspiration for becoming a shoe designer: " influenced me a lot. If you like high heels, it's really the ultimate high heel - it's all about the legs, how they carry themselves, the embellishment of the body. They are the ultimate icons." Although Louboutin faced much opposition following his decision to leave school so early, he claims that his resolve was strengthened after watching an interview on TV with Sophia Loren in which she introduced her sister, saying she had to leave school when she was only 12 but when she turned 50 she got her degree. "Everybody applauded! And I thought, 'Well, at least if I regret it I'm going to be like the sister of Sophia Loren!"
Shoes
Christian Louboutin helped bring stilettos back into fashion in the 1990s and 2000s, designing dozens of styles with heel heights of 120mm (4.72 inches) and higher. The designer's professed goal is to “make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as can.” While he does offer some lower-heeled styles, Louboutin is generally associated with his dressier eveningwear designs incorporating bejeweled straps, bows, feathers, patent leather and other, similar decorative touches.
In his U.S. trademark application, Louboutin explains the inception of the signature red soles:
"In 1992 I incorporated the red sole into the design of my shoes. This happened by accident as I felt that the shoes lacked energy so I applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe. This was such a success that it became a permanent fixture."
Louboutin also received inspiration for his infamous, lethal-looking stilettos from an incident that occurred in his early twenties. He had visited a museum and noticed that there was a sign that forbade women to enter while wearing sharp stilettos, for fear of damage to the extensive wood flooring. This image stayed in his mind, and he later used this idea in his designs. "I wanted to defy that," Louboutin has said. "I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered."
Christian Louboutin has topped The Luxury Institute's annual Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) for 3 years; the brand's offerings were declared the Most Prestigious Women's Shoes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Style Gallery: Selected Christian Louboutin Styles
Celebrities
Christian Louboutin's designs have gained popularity among socialites and celebrities, several of whom have made public appearances sporting the signature red soles. For example, Christina Aguilera and Nicole Kidman were outfitted by the couture cobbler for their weddings. Other famous fans of his shoes include Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Tina Turner, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, Catherine Deneuve, Cameron Diaz, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez ,Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rihanna
A pair of size five black Christian Louboutin shoes once owned by Elizabeth Taylor sold for £10,000 at a charity auction in 2005.
Celebrities ranging from Angelina Jolie to Mariah Carey, are fans of Christian Louboutin shoes and many celebrities are now choosing his shoes as their red carpet accessories. Patti LaBelle signed an endorsement contract with the company to wear their shoes during her concerts and on the red carpet. Her favorite are the Diamond Encrusted pumps. Angelina Jolie has favored his designs on almost all red carpet appearances. Britney Spears has been spotted wearing Louboutin shoes while clubbing in Los Angeles and at various court dates for her custody battle. Kylie Minogue wore a pair of Louboutin stilletos in her video for 2 Hearts and also during a set on her North American tour. Christina Aguilera is also a fan of Louboutin's creations, often seen wearing them to events, and during her 2006-07 Back to Basics Tour. Madonna wore Christian's black patent leather studded mary-janes in her Live Earth performance. Japanese jazz singer Shiina Ringo was noticed to wear a significant number of Louboutins during the promotion of her band's CD Variety. Louboutin also designed shoes for hit pop sensation Mika which he wore at his July 4, 2008, show at Parc des Princes. Leigh Lezark and Rachel Bilson are also known fans of Christian Louboutin.Leighton Meester,Paris Hilton, Blake Lively, Amanda Bynes, and Rihanna have also been spotted wearing the famous red soled shoes. Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki loves the shoes and wears them for personal appearances, public events, magazine shoots, video clips and album covers. Also, Christian Louboutin designed black boots with silver studs especially for Ciara, who has been photographed many times wearing various different Louboutins.
When asked if there was a famous star on which Louboutin was glad to see his shoes he responded, "I admire Angelina Jolie. I think she is gorgeous, generous, talented and free minded person. I am lucky that she is already wearing my shoes".
Stores
Christian Louboutin currently has six boutiques in the United States. Two are located in New York, and one in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and in South Coast Plaza of Orange County, and one in Dallas. Stores are planned for Design District in Miami.
There are two in London, England. The original is in Motcomb Street. An additional one opened in Mount Street in 2008.
In Asia, the first Christian Louboutin boutique was opened in October 2007 on On Lan Street in Central, Hong Kong.
A standalone Louboutin store opened this year in Ngee Ann City, a high-end mall in Singapore on its famous shopping stretch, Orchard Road.
Before the Louboutin store opened in Singapore, one opened in Plaza Indonesia, a shopping mall carrying many luxury brands in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In Australia, you can find his shoes sold in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney in David Jones stores.
Recently, Louboutin opened his first store in South America in Shopping Iguatemi São Paulo.
In addition to the stores a large proportion of sales are also done online through online stores and boutiques.
Media
- Jennifer Lopez recorded a song about Louboutin and will be released as the first single out of her album Love?.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show featured Christian Louboutin and a collection of his shoes in a show dedicated to 'the face behind the name', Louboutins were on display around the set, with Oprah Winfrey describing the shoes as 'pieces of art'.
- Christian has recently collaborated with director David Lynch and they have created an exhibition featuring rare shoes by Louboutin, they are on show at the Pierre Passebon Gallery. The exhibition is named 'Fetish'.
References
- ^ http://www.counterfeitchic.com/Images/Louboutin%202f%20statement%20in%20trademark%20application.pdf Christian Louboutin Declaration In Support of Acquired Distinctiveness
- ^ http://www.counterfeitchic.com/Images/Louboutin%20red%20sole%20in%20TM%20Official%20Gazette%207-10-07.pdf Christian Louboutin Trademark Application
- ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/63166 Newsweek: The Sole of Sexiness
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIPzNlYTU98
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_200709/ai_n19498411/ Luxury Brand Status Index 2007: Footwear
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS186612+17-Jun-2008+MW20080617 Luxury Brand Status Index 2008: Footwear
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS176686+12-Mar-2009+MW20090312 Luxury Brand Status Index 2009: Footwear
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3070/is_200610/ai_n18974520/ Footwear News: Christian’s Cult
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jan/11/news/lv-louboutin11 LA Times: Comfort? Piffle!
- ^ http://www.newser.com/archive-us-news/1G1-138452746/cheries-a-choo-in-at-charity-shoe-sale.html Shoes Sell For £10,000
- ^ "Shoe god inspires sole-searching". The Arizona Republic (online print edition). 2008-02-16 . http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0216louboutin0216.html . Retrieved 2008-06-03 .
- ^ http://www.iguatemisaopaulo.com.br/page/eventosnovidades_detalhes.asp?cod=802
- Simpson, Aislinn (June 30, 2008). "Christian Louboutin shoes top
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