You are previewing content from 365 days of fashion, our paid newsletter where we send 5 emails/week to teach you something about the fashion industry (history, business, production, fashion terms...)
If you want to keep receiving exclusive content, become a paid member to get access to all 365 days of fashion issues.
Jan 7
Christian Louboutin was born today, Jan 7th.
Let’s take a look at some fun facts about the iconic red sole.
If I say Louboutin, you are probably thinking of the iconic red soles. Recognized worldwide, these heels are a symbol of luxury and elegance.
Want to know how they came to life?
There is not a complicated planned design process behind the story of Louboutin’s signature heels. In fact, they were created by accident. And although there may be different stories out there about the origins of the famous shoe, according to Christian Louboutin himself, he got inspired while working on a prototype of a shoe inspired by Andy Warhol’s 'Flowers’ piece. When the sample arrived from Italy, Louboutin felt like something was missing, and the big black sole didn’t convince the designer. Then, by pure coincidence, he saw his assistant painting her nails red, and so, he decided to use this color on all his soles.
Why red? According to Louboutin, “In the early 90s in France, there were a lot of women wearing black who claimed they did not like to wear color. If you don’t like color, I thought, you might not wear green, but you will probably wear red on your nails, on your lips… That’s why I decided to stick to red!”.
Another reason that motivated his choice of this color is that to Louboutin “Red is more than a color. It is a symbol of love, of blood, of passion”, and the concept of the “forbidden shoe” actually reminds us how he got the idea of designing shoes in the first place.
Louboutin says his fascination with shoes began in 1976 with a visit to the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie in Paris where he saw a sign of a stiletto (that served as an inspiration and looks exactly like the Louboutins now) forbidding women from wearing stilettos to protect the floor. Since he was a rebel from a very young age, the designer decided to break the rules by designing a shoe that would make women feel empowered and unapologetic about wearing very high heels. And the rest is history.
Fun facts about the infamous red soles:
Th red-bottom color code is Pantone 18-1663 TPX.
They can sell from $500 up to $6,000, depending on the model.
Louboutin’s biggest client is American novelist Danielle Steel, who apparently owns over 6,000 pairs and is known to have purchased up to 80 pairs at a time!
What is your favorite pair? Comment below.
I loved that Louboutin was a rebel and decided to break the rules by making shoes to help women feel powerful and confident.
Sooo interesting! 🥰