From a very young age, Christian Louboutin loved drawing. When his love for drawing is also added to his unconditional passion for shoes, emerge the impressive creations that thousands of women dream of every day. Do not just create fancy shoes. Create desire. These dazzling luxury heels with that unmistakable red sole (a color that by the way, is patented), have become an icon and a benchmark in the world of fashion.
The designer, ended up making shoes for the Parisian music-hall. After the success of his creations he launched to design the shoes to freelance mode, to order. And finally, in the early 90’s he created his first boutique, which was not lost on the designers who wanted to have him to design collections for their brands, such as Chloé, Diane von Furstenberg, Jean Paul Gaultier or Givenchy .
The shops of Louboutin manage to invoice the year no more and no less than 4.9 million euros, being the heel of 16 cm the most sold. A strong brand that is backed with its red sole. And so he defends it with all his might. This is how it was seen, in court with the famous luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent for making use of the red color in the sole of its shoes. Finally Christian Loubotin won the trial, and only a few brands (among them YSL) can use the red sole only in case the shoe is full red. Without any color contrast.
Even though their customers do not seek comfort, they claim that as soon as they are worn they are the most comfortable shoes in the world. The cheapest designs of Louboutin do not fall below 3000 euros, without the labor or different materials that can be used.
His passion for shoes and his creativity, make his creations are the most novel. The design of his impossible shoes was a success and were auctioned for fund raising for the English National Ballet, which was going through a bad economic time.
All special customers have a shoe last with their foot size and all models are made from that mold. For example, one of the most influential celebrities of the moment such as Angelina Jolie, had the designer to create the shoes that would lead during the presentations of the film Maleficent.
And it is not the only one. Hundreds of celebrities such as Kyle Minogue, Kim Kardashian, Melania Trump, Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton, Dita Von Teese, Jennifer Lopez, Sara Jessica Parker or Tamara Ecclestone are some of the lucky ones to wear the luxurious Louboutin, customized exclusively for them .
Tag: shoes
Manolo Blahnik: king of shoes
Manolo Blahnik- the name has the magic of precious thing: shoes like jewels- is the best known shoemaker in the world. He belongs next to Picasso Lorca and Almodóvar as representing the Spanish genius at its greatest.
-Guillermo Cabrera Infante
Manolo Blahnik was born on the island of La Palma and grew among banana plantations owned by his parents.He began international law in Geneva, but soon was oriented towards studies of Architecture and Literature in the same city; he abandoned a year to move to Paris with the intention of studying art. He is the one who draws his sketches, hand sculpts maple wood and painted and trimmed personally . So it has a long waiting list, since it can only make 80 models a day. He personally tested the shoes, a practice that continued until the ligaments snapped and doctors forbade him to do it.
He claims that his decision to be a shoemaker was “one of those accidents of life. I could just as well have been a milliner or a fashion designer”. His choices were wide but he chose shoemaking and started his highly successful business in 1972 (called Zapata, based in London). From the beginning Blahnik´s shoes reflected his style, wit and flair. He draws shoes with a verve that is uniquely his own, capturing their spirit and mood in a few deft lines.
Blahnik controls every process in the production of his shoes and still makes the last of every shoe with his own hands. He has made shoes for Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, Diana Ross, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell or Victoria Beckham. He has created shoes for John Galliano at Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta. Even Madonna once called her shoes as “better than sex”.
In film and television their shoes have had great impact: the Manolos appear at famous movies like 50 shadows of Grey, Dawn Part 1, Sex in the City, Big bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, Father made in USA. Talking about celebrities, Olivia Palermo or Kylie Minogue they have worn their shoes on their feet.
Recognized in 2007 with an honorary OBE for his services to the British fashion industry, he performs more than 25.000 shoes per year and is still looking for the perfect modelo. He´s Manolo Blahnik.
