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7 Fun Facts About Christian Louboutin and His Remarkable Red-Soled Shoes

Christian Louboutin is known throughout the world for his red-soled shoes, making him one of the most sought-after designers in fashion.

Fashionistas and celebrities love to pair their Louboutin red soles with the red carpet, stars from Nicole Kidman to Blake Lively to Jennifer Lopez to Gigi Hadid to Sarah Jessica Parker…. even P Diddy Sean Combs showed up at the 2017 Met Ball showing off red-soled men shoes.

Want to know more about the luxury look? Here are 7 fun facts to know about Christian Louboutin and his growing fashion empire:

1 – FRANCE – AND A SECRET AFFAIR

Christian Louboutin was born in France in 1963.

Growing up, he was always curious about the fact that his skin was a decidedly darker tone than that of his three sisters. In 2014 he found out why. Turns out, he is the son of an Egyptian who was having a passionate, clandestine affair with his mother.

Interestingly, as a child, he always had a fascination with Egyptian pharaohs.

2 – SCHOOL AND SOPHIA LOREN

Christian Louboutin got expelled three times from school. Eventually, at age 12, he ran away and moved in with a friend.

For a long time, being a drop-out made him anxious. Then one day, he saw a TV interview with Sophia Loren talking about her sister who also left school at age 12, but then went back later in life to get a degree at age 50.

When everyone in the TV studio audience burst into applause, Louboutin thought, “Well, at least if I regret it I’m going to be like the sister of Sophia Loren!”

3 – DESIGNER HEELS AND RED SOLES

Christian Louboutin began as a shoe designer in 1982 creating heels for major luxe brands like Yves Saint Lauren and Chanel.

He started his own designer shoe line in the ’90s, introducing the now-iconic red-soled heels in 1992.

4 – INSPIRED BY DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES

Christian Louboutin’s design inspiration for his very first pair of heels was an image of Princess Diana in front of the Taj Mahal during her 1992 tour of India.

He says, “I remember the picture at the time of Princess Diana and she was looking at her feet and I thought she looked so sad….It would be nice to have something to make her smile when she looked at her feet.”

In response, he created a pair of suede flats with the word “LOVE” spelled out in his signature red hue – “LO” on the left and “VE” on the right.

5 – PUNK PHASE

As the Christian Louboutin brand is often associated with elegance, many people are surprised to learn the designer went through a major punk phase back in the 1970s.

He was a fixture in the Paris club scene, alongside artistic rebels like Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger.

6 – MORE THAN JUST SHOES

When people hear “Louboutin” they immediately think of shoes, but the designer has more fashion expertise under his feet.

Louboutin also designs luxury handbags – which come with linings in his signature shade of red, of course. You can find some examples at Shop375.

7 – THE BIGGEST LOUBOUTIN BUYER IN THE WORLD

Danielle SteeleDo you know who owns more Louboutin shoes than anyone in the world?

Danielle Steel.

That’s right, the romance writer is said to own more than 6,000 pairs. In fact, she’s been known to purchase up to 80 pairs at a time.

Let us know…what’s your favorite Louboutin pair of heels?

The Secret Behind the Red Soles of Christian Louboutin

The Early Years

Growing up in Paris, one of the most fashion-conscious cities on the planet, Christian Louboutin was always surrounded by glamour and fashion. At only sixteen years old, one of his first jobs was sewing sequins onto costumes at the world famous cabaret, Folies Bergère. However, it was actually a trip to a museum that sparked his love for women’s shoes. During the visit, Louboutin was shocked by a sign that was forbidding women from wearing heels, so as not to mark the floor. It was this idea of the ‘forbidden shoe’ that inspired Louboutin to create the heels today that we know and love. He wanted to create a shoe that inspired and empowered women, which is what makes the fiery red sole all the more appealing.

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Christian Louboutin founder of the red sole shoe

The red sole of the Louboutin heel is recognised worldwide and is a global symbol or luxurious elegance. However, it was actually created by accident, rather than by a planned design. The red sole was born one afternoon when a prototype of a shoe inspired by Andy Warhol’s ‘Flowers’ arrived in the hands of Louboutin, who found the shoe a little dull. Fortunately, an assistant was painting her nails red at the time of the arrival of the shoe, and Louboutin had the unique idea of using it to cover the dreary black sole; and so the iconic red sole was made. Red is said to symbolise love, passion and blood, which empowers women and unleashes their inner confidence, allowing them to break the constraints of society, whilst wearing the ‘forbidden shoe.’

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Red Sole Aftermath

Thanks to the nail polish accident, the red sole Christian Louboutin heel is now world renowned and sells more than five hundred thousand pairs of shoes a year. The vivid red glossy sole not only benefits the wearer, giving them a sense of secret pleasure and confidence, but also benefits the company from a business perspective. Louboutin managed to transform a part of a shoe that had previously been ignored, into something that is both aesthetically exciting and commercially useful. Louboutin prefers not to advertise or give away free pairs to celebrities, he would rather let his shoes and red soles do the talking. To mark the success of the red sole accident, Louboutin created a nail polish called Rouge Louboutin that is the exact same colour as the red soles. However, we would not recommend using this on your shoes!

PRODUCT CARE

Please note, the red lacquer on our soles will wear off with the use of the shoes. This is not a manufacturing defect of the shoes; it is usual wear and tear.

Christian Louboutin strongly recommends that our customers consult a leather care professional or a shoemaker for specific care advice.

In order to keep your Christian Louboutin products in good condition, we advise following the below care instructions:

Keep the leather area clean and dry using a dry soft cloth;
Always store your products away from light and heat;
Protect your leather good from rain and moisture;
Store your products in the Christian Louboutin dust bag provided to you when not in use;
Avoid contact with abrasive surfaces.