Christian Louboutin’s Journey: From Sketches to Billion-Dollar Shoe Empire

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Red bottoms are a legend within the world of luxury fashion. Every woman (and most men!) set their sights on buying a pair of infamous red bottoms.

Christian Louboutin is best known for his shiny, red-lacquered soles and has a net worth of 1.6 billion dollars as of 2024.

Christian Louboutin (R) and a guest attend the Christian Louboutin (R) and a guest attend the “The French Dispatch” screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021, in Cannes, France (Credit: WENN / Avalon)

Christian Louboutins are amongst the most recognizable shoes in the world. They’ve become a status symbol with a celebrity following.

Christian Louboutin shoes have become a part of pop culture, featuring in everything from rap songs to TV shows. No designer shoe collection is complete without at least one pair of Christian Louboutins.

French-Egyptian fashion designer Christian Louboutin is famous for his shiny, red-lacquered solesFrench-Egyptian fashion designer Christian Louboutin is famous for his shiny, red-lacquered soles

Whether loyal to red bottoms or buying your first pair, we’re rounding up everything you need to know about the brand. We’re also sharing the most popular Christian Louboutin shoes of all time.

Bookmark this guide on Christian Louboutin shoes to help write your dream shoe list.

The Rise of Christian Louboutin Shoes

Christian Louboutin is an eponymous French shoe brand recognizable worldwide for its iconic red sole.

Louboutin began sketching shoe designs during his teenage years before working for legendary fashion houses like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent during the 1980s.

In 1991, the Christian Louboutin brand was launched when the designer opened his first shoe salon in Paris.

Red sole Christian Louboutin shoes signed by the designer himselfRed sole Christian Louboutin shoes signed by the designer himself (Credit: Michael Carpenter / WENN)

It quickly gained a celebrity following and became infamous for its skyscraper heels, often over 120mm tall. Louboutin said his mission was to create shoes that “make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long” as possible.

While more wearable designs have started to feature in the brand’s collection, Louboutin is synonymous with evening-wear shoes and special occasion styles.

The Rise of Christian Louboutin Shoes

Christian Louboutin is most famous for his iconic red soles, which first appeared in 1993.

Louboutin came up with the idea after using an assistant’s red nail polish to paint the soles of a sample to give the shoes extra energy.

Kelly Brook carries an authentic Christian Louboutin shopping bagKelly Brook carries an authentic Christian Louboutin shopping bag (Credit: Will Alexander / WENN)

The signature red of Christian Louboutin soles has its own Pantone number, 1801663 TPX. Louboutin has taken on everyone from Zara to Yves Saint Laurent for using red soles on their shoes.

Christian Louboutins have been a hallmark in designer shoes since the 1990s. Everyone from the Kardashians to Sarah Jessica Parker and Blake Lively is famous for their Louboutin collections.

Anytime we peek into a celebrity closet, they have rows upon rows of Louboutin shoes. Everyone from Hollywood Royalty to Monegasque Royalty is famous for wearing Louboutin heels.

Christian Louboutin high heel pumps and sneakers displayed in his boutique located at Selfridges Exchange Square Store ManchesterChristian Louboutin high heel pumps and sneakers displayed in his boutique located at Selfridges Exchange Square Store Manchester (Credit: Steve Searle / WENN)

Christian Louboutin’s most loyal client is the novelist Danielle Steel, who owned over 6,000 pairs of Louboutins in 2010. We can only imagine how many she has now.

The brand has expanded to include everything from handbags to makeup and fragrances. Louboutin previously said he wanted to avoid his name being widely licensed, although it’s clear that the fashion house is expanding with various licenses.

2012 saw the launch of Christian Louboutin Beauty, with the first three Louboutin fragrances being released in 2016.

Reasons to Invest in Christian Louboutins

With the Y2K trend kicking off and every fashion brand looking to the ‘90s for inspiration, it’s never been a better time to add Louboutins to your collection.

Christian Louboutin, the renowned French-Egyptian designer, is celebrated for his iconic red-soled shoes that blend Parisian elegance with a touch of exotic flairChristian Louboutin, the renowned French-Egyptian designer, is celebrated for his iconic red-soled shoes that blend Parisian elegance with a touch of exotic flair (Credit: WENN)

These shoes are amongst some of the most timeless of any designer brand. No designer shoe collection is complete without at least one pair of Louboutin shoes.

Although the red soles require a little TLC, Christian Louboutin’s shoes are wearable every season and for years. These shoes have a reputation that sometimes can put people off. Christian Louboutin is famous for saying that his shoes are not designed to be comfortable.

While some styles are definitely ‘dinner shoes’ when you hop out of your Uber and head to dinner, others can be worn all day.

It’s all about finding the perfect Louboutins to suit your needs and lifestyle. There is a style of Louboutins for everyone, whether you love skyscraper stilettoes or prefer to keep it casual in red-bottom sneakers.

Memorable Quotes by Christian Louboutin

“If you do what you love, it is the best way to relax.” – Christian Louboutin

“A shoe is not only a design, but it’s a part of your body language, the way you walk. The way you’re going to move is quite dictated by your shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

Gloria Gaynor and Christian Louboutin attend the Rose Ball 2024 to benefit the Princess Grace Foundation on March 23, 2024, in MonacoGloria Gaynor and Christian Louboutin attend the Rose Ball 2024 to benefit the Princess Grace Foundation on March 23, 2024, in Monaco (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)

“When a woman puts on a heel, she has a different posture, a different attitude. She really stands up and has a consciousness of her body.” – Christian Louboutin

“A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“A naked woman in heels is a beautiful thing. A naked man in shoes looks like a fool.” – Christian Louboutin

“There is a heel that is too high to walk in, certainly. But who cares? You don’t have to walk in high heels.” – Christian Louboutin

“I hate the whole concept of comfort! It’s like when people say: ‘Well we’re not really in love but we’re in a comfortable relationship.’ You’re abandoning a lot of ideas when you’re too into comfort.” – Christian Louboutin

“I never was interested in being part of the fashion world – I just wanted to design shoes. I didn’t even know ‘Vogue’ existed when I was growing up. ‘Vogue,’ what is that?” – Christian Louboutin

“Strangely enough, I really think that shoes are a communication tool between people.” – Christian Louboutin

“I was always shouted at by my teacher because I would draw straight on the table in the school.” – Christian Louboutin

“There is an element of seduction in shoes that doesn’t exist for men. A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’m a designer, and I think if you work in fashion, you have to give people fantasy.” – Christian Louboutin

“I really wish I had invented the flip-flop. I love flip-flops. It’s the one style of shoe I would be so proud of inventing: the Havaiana.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’m really not a fascist. Everyone wears what they feel great in, or comfortable with. It’s a beautiful day, you have an armless shirt: it goes with flip-flops.” – Christian Louboutin

“Being on a trapeze is like dreaming. I feel totally outside of myself when I’m flying. You know, designing shoes, my imagination is flying in my drawings.” – Christian Louboutin

“My business partner gave me a drone, a small helicopter you pilot with an iPhone, and also it has a camera so you can see what it sees on the iPhone. Great fun. I fly it outside in Portugal. It’s wonderful to oversee gardens.” – Christian Louboutin

“If I’m in the country, my big idea is to do nothing. It means talking, it means cooking with the leftovers in the fridge – l’art d’accommoder les restes – it means gardening.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’ll do shoes for the lady who lunches, but it would be, like, a really nasty lunch, talking about men. But where I draw the line, what I absolutely won’t do, is the lady who plays bridge in the afternoon!” – Christian Louboutin

“I always loved fish for the colors and birds for the plumage. In the same way, I loved those women of the cabaret. They were birds of paradise.” – Christian Louboutin

“High heels are pleasure with pain.” – Christian Louboutin

“You need to believe in yourself and what you do. Be tenacious and genuine.” – Christian Louboutin

“High heels empower women in a way.” – Christian Louboutin

“People say I am the king of painful shoes. I don’t want to create painful shoes, but it is not my job to create something comfortable. I try to make high heels as comfortable as they can be, but my priority is design, beauty and sexiness. I’m not against them, but comfort is not my focus.” – Christian Louboutin

“If you are not bored by life, and your primary motto is enthusiasm and if you like your friends, family around you, it all translates into your designs. That’s what keeps the creativity alive.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’d already decided I wanted to design shoes after I saw a sign in the Museum of African and Oceanic Art forbidding high heels. Well, who could resist?” – Christian Louboutin

“Men in high heels? That’s a prosthesis. But I sympathise. Women have these giant heels. They get taller and taller. The men need help. But a man in heels is ridiculous.” – Christian Louboutin

“Even today, I am still very child-like while designing. It’s a bit like Christmas – each of your designs you create is like unravelling your presents.” – Christian Louboutin

“I was born in Paris in the mid-1960s, and by the time I was 12 I had started going to the movies by myself. Most of the movies of that period never appealed to me. I didn’t like the ‘naturalism,’ the sad or the ‘down-to-earth’ characters. What I wanted from film was fantasy, dreams, funny situations, extravagant decor – and beautiful women.” – Christian Louboutin

“A house is very much like a portrait. I cannot disconnect houses from people. The thought of arrangement, the curves and straight lines. It gives an indication of the character at the heart of it.” – Christian Louboutin

“My job is designing shoes. It’s work that happens behind the scenes, as they say, and that suits me just fine because in general I am a shy person. But sometimes I have these extroverted outbursts.” – Christian Louboutin

“When a woman buys shoes, she takes them out of the box and looks at herself in the mirror. But she isn’t really looking at her shoes – she’s looking at herself. If she likes herself, then she likes the shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“Fashion isn’t interesting when it comes from an uninspired place. It’s like voodoo; we don’t want things that are soaked in blood, sweat, and tears. I adore life, and I’m very easygoing – and it shows in my work.” – Christian Louboutin

“There’s nothing I liked visually of the period I was a child. There was no dream in it, and nothing sparkled.” – Christian Louboutin

“What was called extreme 20 years ago definitely isn’t extreme anymore. When I started, I remember people saying, ‘Oh my God, I can’t walk in that!’ It was like, three inches – they look like kitten heels now.” – Christian Louboutin

“I remain faithful to bourbon sour. It’s absolutely delicious. You’d have to ask a bartender what’s in it, but I think if you know you might never have a drink. I also love a little rum, 7 years aged, brown, when it is chilly, before dinner.” – Christian Louboutin

“One thing I detest, I have to say, is when a shoe is too soft, and it’s molding to the foot. This is quite disgusting. And I really, really hate incredibly long shoes, where the last is very pointy, almost like Aladdin.” – Christian Louboutin

“I was born 20 years after my eldest sister. I was the pampered child. That kind of love gives you an almost unbreakable backbone. My mother had three kids before me. She let me be completely free. I just never had anything to beat myself up over.” – Christian Louboutin

“People are proud of their tattoos. It’s like a modern coat of arms.” – Christian Louboutin

“Shoes for men are about elegance or wealth, they are not playing with the inner character. That is why women are happy to wear painful shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“The higher the better. It’s more about an attitude. High heels empower women in a way.” – Christian Louboutin

“Cinderella is not only an iconic character when it comes to beauty, grace and fairytale love, but also shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“A shoe has so much more to offer than just to walk.” – Christian Louboutin

“A woman carries her clothes. But the shoe carries the woman.” – Christian Louboutin

“For me, there ain’t no high heel high enough.” – Christian Louboutin

“Istanbul is inspiring because it has its own code of architecture, literature, poetry, music.” – Christian Louboutin

“I mean, the shoe – there is a music to it, there is attitude, there is sound, it’s a movement. Clothes – it’s a different story. There are a million things I’d rather do before designing clothes: directing, landscaping.” – Christian Louboutin

“The shiny red color of the soles has no function other than to identify to the public that they are mine. I selected the color because it is engaging, flirtatious, memorable, and the color of passion.” – Christian Louboutin

“You’re abandoning a lot of ideas when you’re too into comfort.” – Christian Louboutin

“I love deep cleavage on the foot. It reminds me of Berlin in 1930s, ‘Cabaret.'” – Christian Louboutin

“I have no problem with the idea of comfort, but it is not an important thing aesthetically. If you look at a shoe and immediately say it looks very comfortable, in terms of design, it is not going to excite me. Of course, I am not putting nails in my shoes to ensure everybody is in pain, but a heel is not a pair of slippers and never will be.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’m not in the type of work where you should rest.” – Christian Louboutin

“The heel is engineering in itself. This little thing that supports the human weight has to have a precise balance.” – Christian Louboutin

“Don’t reject a shoe because you can’t run in it. It’s OK not to run.” – Christian Louboutin

“I like to see people who are survivors wearing my shoes. I am fascinated by people who can bounce back.” – Christian Louboutin

“Everyone has their dates. For me, it’s 1991. I can place every memory of my life either before or after this date. It’s the year I became an adult. My mother died, and I created my company shortly thereafter. I definitely would not have done it if she hadn’t passed away.” – Christian Louboutin

“I hate the idea of natural. For example, I prefer gardens to wild nature. I like to see the human touch. High heels are a complete invention – an extravagance. They’re far from natural, but it’s the impracticality that I adore. I prefer the useless to the useful, the sophisticated to the natural.” – Christian Louboutin

“I like to undress women – not to dress them. You know, like Manet’s ‘Olympia’ or Helmut Newton’s photographs – naked women with shoes. This is what I am trying to do.” – Christian Louboutin

“I wouldn’t take it as a compliment if someone looked at one of my shoes and said, ‘Oh, that looks like a comfortable shoe.’ There is a heel that is too high to walk in, certainly. But who cares? You don’t have to walk in high heels.” – Christian Louboutin

“My drawing for women is really curvy. My drawings for men are actually quite angular.” – Christian Louboutin

“I wanted to be a shoe designer, but I never thought it could be a profession. But what was the alternative? Doctor? Too dirty! Air-hostess? Maybe not! Then someone gave me a book on Roger Vivier, and, cheri, instantly I knew that was it!” – Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin and Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, attend The Daily Front Row's 7th Annual Fashion Media AwardsChristian Louboutin and Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, attend The Daily Front Row’s 7th Annual Fashion Media Awards at The Rainbow Room on September 05, 2019, in New York City (Credit: WENN / Instar)

“When I’m doing a store in a country, I always like to consider the concept of the country and the city. Ask what are the clothes of the city, what does this city represent for me?” – Christian Louboutin

“The most outrageous shoe that I had to do was a shoe where the person gave me stones – precious stones – and say that I could do anything with precious stones.” – Christian Louboutin

“I am more feminist than feminists.” – Christian Louboutin

“‘Comfy,’ that’s one of the worst words! I just picture a woman feeling bad, with a big bottle of alcohol, really puffy. It’s really depressing, but she likes her life because she has comfortable clogs.” – Christian Louboutin

“The thing I always try to remember is that feet are attached to the leg, and that you must prolong the silhouette. The shoe elongates the leg and does it discreetly. The goal is to get people to look at a woman’s legs. It’s all about the leg. No, it’s not about the leg. It’s about the woman.” – Christian Louboutin

 

 
 
 
 
 
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“I never had the dream to be a great designer. My focus was just to do beautiful things.” – Christian Louboutin

“Born and raised in Paris, I am deeply attached to my city; we almost have half a century of love story together, where I have been truly completely faithful! The most beautiful city in the world is my city, yeepeeee!” – Christian Louboutin

“I never liked my last name or my first name, but it’s not as bad as Frigidaire, so it’s fine.” – Christian Louboutin

“I sketch literally all the time; constructing a collection is like building a family – you have to have a certain balance. I isolate myself – I need to be concentrated for this so I leave Paris, I leave to a place without a phone.” – Christian Louboutin

“My shoes are perfect for the very sexy woman who wants to be elegant.” – Christian Louboutin

“If I could do shoes for anyone, it would be a special project for the Queen of England. She and the Pope are the ultimate clients.” – Christian Louboutin

“In designing shoes for myself; I’m not thinking of a specific person or catwalk. I’m just not thinking of clothes at all. I’m always thinking of a naked woman, actually.” – Christian Louboutin

“Bollywood stars are versatile; they not only act, but each one has the dance skills of John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever.'” – Christian Louboutin

“When I’m drawing, I’m drawing with the light, being completely open and creative. I can’t draw in the evening. I need light and I need warmth if it is a summer thing, and I need cold if it is a winter collection. The good thing is that I have houses to go to whenever I’m working. I draw according to the place.” – Christian Louboutin

“Fruit in the morning is such a big joy for me. I like to grab fruit from the tree, et cetera. I don’t feel that way with vegetables. Fruit, you can eat it at any time, any moment, in any type of situation. I like everything about fruit; I like the color.” – Christian Louboutin

“My relationship with shoes has always been linked to shoes, women, women in their shoes and performance.” – Christian Louboutin

“The highest heels I do are six-inch heels – but mostly only dancers can wear them, since they are used to being on point in ballet shoes. Their feet are arched.” – Christian Louboutin

“I never wanted to work in fashion. At age 12 or 13, I wanted to design for showgirls – for the theater! And I was crazy for the Hollywood of the 1950s: Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Jones. They were my idea of glamour – and Sylvie Vartan, the French singer.” – Christian Louboutin

“I hate the whole concept of the clog! It’s fake, it’s ugly, and it’s not even comfortable!” – Christian Louboutin

“Something I really hate more than anything else is clogs.” – Christian Louboutin

“Funnily enough, the most difficult style to do is the plain pump because it needs to look good on a variety of feet. I compare it to having a good bone structure. Make-up will make you look good, but it helps if you have a good skeleton to begin with.” – Christian Louboutin

“I am interested in all things that celebrate and enhance the female form.” – Christian Louboutin

“The core of my work is dedicated not to pleasing women, but to pleasing men. Men are like bulls. They cannot resist the red sole.” – Christian Louboutin

“My father, who was a cabinetmaker, told me, ‘Wood has a grain and if you go into the grain, you have beauty. If you go against it, you have splinters – it breaks.’ And I took that as my view of life. You have to follow the grain – to be sensitive to the direction of life.” – Christian Louboutin

“It is extremely necessary to realize that the world doesn’t only have one way of seeing things.” – Christian Louboutin

“Passage Vero-Dodat – I started my company on this passage. It feels as much home as it can!” – Christian Louboutin

“One moves more slowly in heels. Walking fast is neither sexy nor engaging. Nobody notices the people who race around. If you’re walking in heels, you’ve got time. It’s much more attractive.” – Christian Louboutin

“Even if you don’t like colours, you will end up having something red. For everyone who doesn’t like colour, red is a symbol of a lot of culture. It has a different signification but never a bad one.” – Christian Louboutin

“Designing my shoes, I’m thinking timeless. Not trendy.” – Christian Louboutin

“I guess being French, I love Hollywood. I love Hollywood movies. Joseph Mankiewicz’s ‘All About Eve.’ ‘Mildred Pierce.'” – Christian Louboutin

“I like Adele, Mika, Natacha Atlas and a beautiful old record, ‘An Evening with Belafonte/Mouskouri,’ starring Harry Belafonte and Nana Mouskouri. What they have in common is they all have incredible voices. I am very much into voices. I would say I’m a fan of voices, not of sound. I’m a fan of singers, not of bands.” – Christian Louboutin

“During breakfast there is something I cannot resist, apart from my boyfriend – it’s actually the phone. I have a phone breakfast. Always. I call friends, boyfriend, family. Checking who is where. ‘Is everything fine?’ This is breakfast.” – Christian Louboutin

“In France you cannot not have lunch. If you stopped the French from having lunch, you will have a second revolution, I can tell you this. Not going to work – it is part of the French privilege.” – Christian Louboutin

“I never wanted to design clothes. I never wanted to work for the fashion industry. Shoes sort of belong to the fashion industry, which is why I’m part of the fashion industry. But that’s never been my thought. My thought since I was a child was really to design those shoes for girls on stage.” – Christian Louboutin

“I don’t repeat that many styles if I can help, although some have become classics. I try not to repeat. I’d rather surprise people.” – Christian Louboutin

“I didn’t even know ‘Vogue’ existed when I was growing up.” – Christian Louboutin

“The core of my work is dedicated not to pleasing women, but to pleasing men.” – Christian Louboutin

“If I could do shoes for anyone, it would be a special project for the Queen of England.” – Christian Louboutin

“I think every market has lot of things in common, and at the same time, every market has lot of different things.” – Christian Louboutin

“Part of my work is dedicated to artisanship and can only be done by very few people because it requires a specific technique. Being an artist is being at the service of yourself; I am at the service of other people.” – Christian Louboutin

“You know, you cannot be comfortable on a high heel shoes the way you would be in sneakers. But, you know, not everyone wants to be on sneakers. Sneakers are for different purposes.” – Christian Louboutin

“I am always surprised by who wears my shoes. This is a good thing. There is no type of woman, but all my women like to feel feminine. They are women who are happy to be women.” – Christian Louboutin

“I am very bad at drawing. Seriously. I can draw shoes. That’s about it.” – Christian Louboutin

“I prefer buying things and figuring out where to put them later than regretting not buying them.” – Christian Louboutin

“My mother’s cross was given to me when she died. I like to have it always close to me.” – Christian Louboutin

“Some people don’t even know my name, but they know I am the man with the red soles.” – Christian Louboutin

“I would say that a good shoe is exactly like a good wine. These shoes are going to stay and last for a long time.” – Christian Louboutin

“In Paris, I really do like to try and do nothing… but that’s impossible.” – Christian Louboutin

“I don’t follow anything online. I am rather slow on that side.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’m very detail oriented. Everything that takes a lot of dedication and creativity I do in the morning when there is light and I’m really concentrated.” – Christian Louboutin

“Breakfast is a peaceful moment for me, so I never have the radio on, no music, no noise around. The only noise that is permitted is people’s voices. It’s a way for me to wake up without too much of a high-speed feeling.” – Christian Louboutin

“If I’m in Italy, I’m going to have a cappuccino and two small brioches and then a mix of orange and grapefruit. I don’t drink tea in Italy.” – Christian Louboutin

“When you sketch a shoe but don’t have the intention to do a proper shoe, it remains a curvy sketch with no detail. The shoe completely morphs to the body.” – Christian Louboutin

“I buy Dries van Noten shoes. I love his clothes, too.” – Christian Louboutin

“There are a million things I’d rather do before designing clothes: directing, landscaping.” – Christian Louboutin

“I’ll do shoes for the lady who lunches, but it would be, like, a really nasty lunch, talking about men.” – Christian Louboutin

“I feel I am a role model to many, not just for my designs, but also for the fact that I started my own company with the help of my two friends. I became a success story, and people relate to that.” – Christian Louboutin

“If there is something I like, I buy it and then find somewhere for it. I buy first then I think.” – Christian Louboutin

“For women raised in the ’70s, high heels can still carry a stigma; they’re associated with being stupid, with just wanting to please a man. Other women find them empowering.” – Christian Louboutin

“At age 12 or 13, I wanted to design for showgirls – for the theater!” – Christian Louboutin

“People tend to fear the ghosts in their own family. You feel these family curses and think, ‘If it happened to my father, it could happen to me.'” – Christian Louboutin

“No woman wants to have fat ankles.” – Christian Louboutin

“Bhutan is a very serene country with an incredible history. It has an incredible group of great artisans.” – Christian Louboutin

“I like my customer to be fierce.” – Christian Louboutin

“I love flip-flops. It’s the one style of shoe I would be so proud of inventing: the Havaiana.” – Christian Louboutin

“I could not live with someone 24/7. I just never did, and I could never do.” – Christian Louboutin

“I don’t like conflicts. I’m not a competitive person at heart. To be in the middle of turmoil is boring.” – Christian Louboutin

“I guess, being French, I love Hollywood.” – Christian Louboutin

“People say I am the king of painful shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“Everyone has their dates. For me, it’s 1991. I can place every memory of my life either before or after this date. It’s the year I became an adult. My mother died, and I created my company shortly thereafter.” – Christian Louboutin

“Necessity creates everything in my life.” – Christian Louboutin

“Being an artist is being at the service of yourself; I am at the service of other people.” – Christian Louboutin

“I don’t give away my shoes to celebrities for free. I’m only happy when people like what I do and make the effort to buy them. I would not be happy to see people in my shoes if I knew that they had to be paid to do it, that they had to be pushed.” – Christian Louboutin

“I think I have a part of myself which is a woman. When girls are together, they speak completely differently than when there is a guy around. But, with me, they don’t see this masculine thing stopping them, and there is not this boundary.” – Christian Louboutin

“If the height of the heel is the same as the length of your foot, it starts to look wrong. And if the heel is positioned badly on the sole, you get into ballerina territory, where the body is pushed into a very strange posture. You can exaggerate the arch only so much.” – Christian Louboutin

“To me, the word ‘decadent’ is so difficult to use; it’s a very sensitive word, in a way.” – Christian Louboutin

“The highest heels I do are six-inch heels – but mostly only dancers can wear them, since they are used to being on point in ballet shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“Women like my shoes because they look good on them, not because they look good on the rack.” – Christian Louboutin

“When I’m doing a store in a country, I always like to consider the concept of the country and the city.” – Christian Louboutin

“If you’re passionate about the world, and if you really look closely at everything around you, each thing can be transformed into a shoe, or into a part of a shoe.” – Christian Louboutin

“Everyone wears what they feel great in or comfortable with.” – Christian Louboutin

“Sometimes women feel uncomfortable when men stare at them when they try on shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“I listen to my stomach. It tells me when I am starving.” – Christian Louboutin

“I love David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive;’ such a wonderful movie.” – Christian Louboutin

“Shoes for men are about elegance or wealth; they are not playing with the inner character.” – Christian Louboutin

“Boredom is a concept that I don’t understand.” – Christian Louboutin

“There are few plants that are ugly. It’s how you use them that may not be pretty.” – Christian Louboutin

“Funnily enough, the most difficult style to do is the plain pump because it needs to look good on a variety of feet.” – Christian Louboutin

“A lot of women don’t like when they’re sort of fat, but a fat foot is as beautiful as a skinny foot. Think of Greek statues. Look how many people love the foot of the baby! There is something super-charming about the baby foot.” – Christian Louboutin

“I have this disease that if I feel good somewhere, I… buy a house.” – Christian Louboutin

“A lot of my friends have tattoos; I realized that it’s not only just a part of pop culture, but a bit of a map on someone’s body, which says something about people. A part of their life, like an armor or a crest.” – Christian Louboutin

“I have always loved tartans – such an ornamented type of weaving, so vivid in colour, and such a masculine aspect. But actually, I think tartans can be feminine or masculine.” – Christian Louboutin

“A good pump is a silhouette, like the bone structure of the face. It’s like a beautiful face with no make-up. You can cover a not-so-beautiful face with make-up, but it is just a mask – it is the same with shoes.” – Christian Louboutin

“I never had a plan. I have to say, I’m very shocked when people start a company and say, ‘In five years I want to launch a perfume, or in 10 years I want to have this.’ How can you know?” – Christian Louboutin

“I perfectly understand the obsession with shoes. I myself am pretty obsessed. I have a few hundred pairs of shoes in general because I’ve been collecting shoes for a long time.” – Christian Louboutin

“Madonna is a feminist and has been doing more for the cause than all the grumpy feminists, who are giving nothing back by being grumpy.” – Christian Louboutin

“I am very much into voices. I would say I’m a fan of voices, not of sound. I’m a fan of singers, not of bands.” – Christian Louboutin

“The shoe is very much an X-ray of social comportment.” – Christian Louboutin

“Fashion isn’t interesting when it comes from an uninspired place.” – Christian Louboutin

“You know, I’m behind my company. My company has been a big part of my life. And it’s not that I been buying a company or that my father bought a company and tried to do something out of it. You know, it’s not the same thing. It’s my name, it’s my company, it’s my signature.” – Christian Louboutin

“In a creative business, if you’re happy, it will come out in your work. I don’t see how you can be happy if you don’t like the people you’re working with and if they aren’t a joy to have fun with.” – Christian Louboutin

“When I have meetings scheduled so tight that I can’t go to the loo, that’s where I draw the line!” – Christian Louboutin

“I haven’t yet met a woman who told me, ‘I wish I had shorter legs.'” – Christian Louboutin

“A good host is someone who really takes care of everyone, from the food to their daily program. I can’t.” – Christian Louboutin

“When you are too specific on a target, it can drain you. Ask me where I will be when I am 60, and I will have no answer to give.” – Christian Louboutin

Fascinating Facts About Christian Louboutin

What is Christian Louboutin?Best known for his wedding shoes and iconic shiny, red-lacquered soles, Christian Louboutin is a French fashion designer whose high-end footwear brand recently has expanded into handbags, fragrances and makeup.
Where to buy Christian LouboutinYou will find the best selection of Christian Louboutin shoes at Nordstrom, Christian Louboutin, and Mytheresa.
How do Christian Louboutin shoes fit?While recent releases run more true to size than before, his shoes are usually cut narrow.

If you’re ordering a style with a narrow toe box, order a half size up if you have wider feet.

To be safe, try ordering a couple of different sizes, then return the pair that’s not a good fit. Most Christian Louboutin retailers offer free return shipping.
Do Louboutins go on sale?In the last few years, the French shoe designer has served hundreds of DMCA notices on Google to remove many sites selling counterfeit goods from their search results. However, there are still thousands of counterfeit Christian Louboutin shoes for sale online.

While there are infrequent sample sales, you need to be in the shoe industry or know an employee at Christian Louboutin to get invited. You can also find some discounted styles at The Outnet.
How much are Christian Louboutin shoes?They normally sell from $595 and up, with crystal-encrusted pairs costing up to $6,000.
How much is Christian Louboutin worth?Christian Louboutin's net worth is estimated to be $1.6 billion dollars as of 2024.

His wealth comes primarily from the sale of his shoes, but he also generates income from licensing deals and other ventures.
What did Christian Louboutin discover about his ethnicity in 2013, and how did this newfound understanding of his French-Egyptian heritage influence his connection to Egyptian culture and his work?In 2013, iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin discovered his true heritage: French-Egyptian. Though he always had an affinity for Egypt, Louboutin believed his background was solely French. After learning about his Arab identity, he reflected on his longstanding interest in Egyptian culture, interpreting it as an innate connection to his heritage. This revelation has deeply influenced his perspective and work.

The image below is from the documentary ‘Christian Louboutin: The World’s Most Luxurious Shoes,’ broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.

Christian Louboutin allows cameras to follow himChristian Louboutin allows cameras to follow him as he collaborates with Bhutanese art students to produce a new “Himalayan” collection of wooden wedges in Paris on August 12, 2015

How to Correctly Pronounce Christian Louboutin’s Name and Other Fashion Terms

One of many designer names that are tricky to pronounce, the correct pronunciation of Christian Louboutin’s name in French is Krees-tyan Loo-boo-tahn. Saying Lew-buh-tin or Lew-buh-tan is simply not correct.

The correct pronunciation of Christian Louboutin's last name in French is Loo-boo-tanThe correct pronunciation of Christian Louboutin’s last name in French is Loo-boo-tan (Credit: Instar / WENN

Many people seem confused by the English pronunciation of ‘lingerie,’ a word borrowed directly from the French language. However, the standard pronunciations of ‘lingerie’ in British and American English are incorrect in French.