Christian Louboutin: biography

Christian Louboutin was born in Paris in January 1963. His parents were very far from the world of fashion and art. Father Roger Louboutin worked in a carpentry workshop, mother Irene is a housewife. The family lived very modestly. In addition to the younger Christian, the Louboutins had three more children.

In 1971, when Christian Louboutin was 8 years old, the boy visited the National Museum of Africa and Oceania. Entering the hall, he noticed a sign with a sign forbidding entry in stiletto heels. For some reason, the crossed shoe was most imprinted in my memory. Louboutin later admitted that it was from that day on that he first became interested in women's shoes.

The first sketches of shoes appeared in Christian's school notebooks. This hobby soon occupied all the guy's attention. Studying was of little interest: due to poor progress, he was expelled from 4 schools. Louboutin spent all his free time in the theater. Most of all he was worried about the dancers. More precisely, their feet, shod in high-heeled shoes. It was the dancers in stilettos that the fashion designer later called his first style icons.

In the mid-1970s, Louboutin came across a book about French luxury shoe designer Roger Vivier, who was also born in Paris. According to Christian, he was pierced like lightning: this was exactly the occupation with which he wanted to connect his whole future life.

After school, the future designer went to the School of Fine Arts, where he studied theater and sculpture. In the late 1970s, Christian Louboutin got his first job at the Folies Berger cabaret. Here his duty was to select costumes for the dancers. At the same time, he created sketches of shoes for artists.

In 1979, Christian Louboutin went on a long journey through Egypt and India, which lasted a year and a half. In 1981, after returning to his hometown, Louboutin immediately went to the fashion houses of Paris. Everywhere he showed his folder with the best sketches of shoes. The famous designer and couturier Charles Jourdan became interested in these sketches of an 18-year-old boy. He specialized in shoes and accessories. Louboutin was accepted as an apprentice. For 2 years, apprentice Christian persistently learned to correctly determine the size and cut out the block. In the late 1980s, the able young couturier was hired as a freelance designer by the Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent fashion houses.

Shoes from Louboutin

The first design development from Christian Louboutin appeared in 1988. These were provocative “egg” boats. This model of shoes was notable for revealing the inner curve of the foot and part of the toes, which the designer considers very sexy.

In 1990, Louboutin received the first individual orders. His designer shoes are becoming increasingly popular with Parisian fashionistas. This circumstance prompted the young designer to open the first boutique. Orders and sales are skyrocketing. The following year, Christian Louboutin officially registers his brand "Christian Louboutin". Shoes - "louboutins" (or as they are often called "louboutins") are worn by stars.

Somehow, Christian, working on his next masterpiece, thought about that “zest”, without which the shoe model looked insipid. Suddenly, the master's gaze fell on a fashion model, who at that moment was painting her nails in his workshop. Scarlet lacquer turned out to be exactly that ingenious finishing touch that glorified the designer all over the world.

In 1994, the first collection of shoes appeared, the sole of which was painted scarlet. This find was patented and named "follow me" (which means "follow me"). The following year, the fashion models of Jean Paul Gaultier, Chloe, Azzaro, Givenchy and Lanvin walked the catwalk in Christian Louboutin shoes.

And in 1996, the designer had a new collection called "Lucite". In shoes, a fashionable feature is transparent heels. Each pair of such shoes is a real masterpiece. For example, for the actress Ariel Dombal, Louboutin made shoes, in the heels of which shreds of her husband's love letters, strands of hair and feathers were visible.

The chain of Louboutin boutiques is expanding in all countries of Europe and America. In 1997 they appeared in London. And in 1999, the Parisian shoe designer's branded stores were already open in New York and Los Angeles. In Moscow, a Christian Louboutin shoe store opened in 2003 on Petrovka.

In the 2000s, Christian Louboutin released a new collection of shoes almost every year. In 2007 it was the Fetish line, in 2009 it was Marie Antoinette. In the same year, a fashionable novelty appeared, released jointly by the fashion designer and the Piper Heidsieck winery. This is an exclusive set consisting of a decorative shoe and a bottle of champagne, which is signed by Louboutin. And in 2009, a line of men's shoes from couturier appeared.

2010 was also marked by several novelties of the master. The main one is a collection of shoes with colored straps, named "Lively" in honor of the actress and model. In the same year, Christian Louboutin shoes were named the sexiest shoes by Footwear News.

2011 was marked by a scandal. Christian Louboutin has filed a lawsuit against the fashion house Yves Saint Laurent for the fact that the brand released shoes, which, according to the designer, copied his patented red sole "Louboutin". The long litigation ended in victory for Louboutin. Since then, Yves Saint Laurent has the right to produce shoes with red soles only in the model that is completely red.

And 2011 is also remarkable for the world of high fashion with the release of extremely high Louboutin shoes with a stiletto heel of 20 centimeters. The masters inspired the creation of the collection by ballerinas and the position of their feet during the dance.

In 2012, the Christian Louboutin brand celebrated its 20th anniversary. In recent years, the fashion maestro has been seriously thinking about creating a cosmetic line and designer jewelry. The biography of Christian Louboutin is a shoe that legends and stars have worn and continue to wear. Louboutin shoes were worn by Elizabeth Taylor and the Princess of Monaco. They are worn by Catherine Deneuve and Cher. Almost every wealthy fashionista has shoes from the famous couturier.

Personal life

The Parisian creator of the most fashionable shoes does not hide his belonging to a non-traditional sexual orientation. Louboutin is openly gay. He said that this was known to his family for a long time, who calmly accepted this fact.

Christian Louboutin is in a relationship with Louis Benes. Louis is a landscape designer. This couple has been together since 1997.