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Brand History & Legacy
Red Bottom Heels: The Full Christian Louboutin Story
Nov 13, 2020
The creator of the red bottom heels, Christian Louboutin has a fascinatingly colourful history to match his design style. A person who creates serious work but does not take his work too seriously, Louboutin’s unorthodox approach to life and work make for a great story.
Keep reading to learn more about Christian Louboutin’s story.
Christian Louboutin was the youngest child of 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.
However, the designer noticed at a young age that he was "much darker-skinned than everyone else in my family. You know, I felt I wasn't French. My family was very French and so I decided they had probably adopted me. But instead of feeling it was terrible and that I was an outsider who had to go and find my real family, I invented my own history, full of characters from Egypt because I was very into the pharaohs." This was because the designer discovered that his biological father was in fact an Egyptian, with whom his mother had been having a secret affair. However, Louboutin only discovered this in 2014, much later in his life.
Although Louboutin is successful now, he experienced dysphoria regarding his identity and the relationship with his foster father. In fact, Louboutin would frequently lash out at school and even got expelled 3 times.
But although Louboutin had little interest in school growing up, it was only once he left when he found his passion for shoemaking.
Growing up in Paris, one of the most fashion-conscious cities on the planet, Christian Louboutin was always surrounded by glamour and fashion. At the young age of 16 years old, Louboutin began his apprentice for the famed Folies Bergère where he sewed sequins onto costumes.
However, he released his life passion for shoemaking by accident. All it took was a trip to a museum. Louboutin was surprised to see a sign prohibiting high heels. In fact, he was so intrigued by the ‘forbidden shoe’ that it inspired Louboutin into shoemaking. He wanted to craft shoes that inspired and empowered women, which is what makes the beautiful red bottom heels all the more appealing!
In the late 1980s, Christian Louboutin decided to take a break from shoemaking to venture into landscape gardening. However, he later reverted back to shoe design and opened up a boutique in Paris in 1992. He immediately earned the likes of celebrities. In fact, Princess Caroline of Monaco was one of the first to step into the shoe salon and later became a loyal client. Additionally, once the princess complimented the Louboutin store in the presence of journalists, his brand quickly rose to fame.
Although the signature red bottom heel was Louboutin’s claim to fame, it was not his first design.
Only in 1993, the designer sought to create a shoe inspired by Andy Warhol’s ‘Flowers’ painting where he first used the red lacquer. But Louboutin was unsatisfied with the prototype of the pink stacked heel featuring a cartoonish cloth blossom and a black sole. It was only when the designer saw his assistant open a bottle of red nail polish where he was inspired to paint the prototype in the same shade of lacquer. Of course, Louboutin later trademarked the red bottom heels later and made it synonymous with the brand.
Today, Christian Louboutin is still popular amongst celebrities and fashionistas alike. On the red carpet, you’ll frequently see celebs like Blake Lively, Madonna, Rihanna and Beyonce strutting red bottom heels. Needless to say, Louboutin has topped the Luxury Institute’s annual Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) for many years, as well as appearing in the top 3 of Luxity's State of the Luxury Market 2020 & 2019
So maybe you don’t need a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. But you should own at least one pair. Indulge yourself! What other shoes do you need? You might also like our list of iconic shoe designers.
Every fashionista needs at least one pair of classic red bottom heels. So, indulge yourself by shopping authentic Christian Louboutin high heels at Luxity!
Christian Louboutin's Early Life
Christian Louboutin was the youngest child of 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.
However, the designer noticed at a young age that he was "much darker-skinned than everyone else in my family. You know, I felt I wasn't French. My family was very French and so I decided they had probably adopted me. But instead of feeling it was terrible and that I was an outsider who had to go and find my real family, I invented my own history, full of characters from Egypt because I was very into the pharaohs." This was because the designer discovered that his biological father was in fact an Egyptian, with whom his mother had been having a secret affair. However, Louboutin only discovered this in 2014, much later in his life.
Although Louboutin is successful now, he experienced dysphoria regarding his identity and the relationship with his foster father. In fact, Louboutin would frequently lash out at school and even got expelled 3 times.
But although Louboutin had little interest in school growing up, it was only once he left when he found his passion for shoemaking.
The First Steps into Shoemaking
Growing up in Paris, one of the most fashion-conscious cities on the planet, Christian Louboutin was always surrounded by glamour and fashion. At the young age of 16 years old, Louboutin began his apprentice for the famed Folies Bergère where he sewed sequins onto costumes.
However, he released his life passion for shoemaking by accident. All it took was a trip to a museum. Louboutin was surprised to see a sign prohibiting high heels. In fact, he was so intrigued by the ‘forbidden shoe’ that it inspired Louboutin into shoemaking. He wanted to craft shoes that inspired and empowered women, which is what makes the beautiful red bottom heels all the more appealing!
Building the Red Bottom Empire
In the late 1980s, Christian Louboutin decided to take a break from shoemaking to venture into landscape gardening. However, he later reverted back to shoe design and opened up a boutique in Paris in 1992. He immediately earned the likes of celebrities. In fact, Princess Caroline of Monaco was one of the first to step into the shoe salon and later became a loyal client. Additionally, once the princess complimented the Louboutin store in the presence of journalists, his brand quickly rose to fame.
Where the Red Bottom Heel Began
Although the signature red bottom heel was Louboutin’s claim to fame, it was not his first design.
Only in 1993, the designer sought to create a shoe inspired by Andy Warhol’s ‘Flowers’ painting where he first used the red lacquer. But Louboutin was unsatisfied with the prototype of the pink stacked heel featuring a cartoonish cloth blossom and a black sole. It was only when the designer saw his assistant open a bottle of red nail polish where he was inspired to paint the prototype in the same shade of lacquer. Of course, Louboutin later trademarked the red bottom heels later and made it synonymous with the brand.
Today, Christian Louboutin is still popular amongst celebrities and fashionistas alike. On the red carpet, you’ll frequently see celebs like Blake Lively, Madonna, Rihanna and Beyonce strutting red bottom heels. Needless to say, Louboutin has topped the Luxury Institute’s annual Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) for many years, as well as appearing in the top 3 of Luxity's State of the Luxury Market 2020 & 2019
So maybe you don’t need a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. But you should own at least one pair. Indulge yourself! What other shoes do you need? You might also like our list of iconic shoe designers.
Every fashionista needs at least one pair of classic red bottom heels. So, indulge yourself by shopping authentic Christian Louboutin high heels at Luxity!
