Christian Louboutin, a very well known shoe-designer was born in Paris in 1963. He discovered his passion for designing footwear as a child after visiting the museum of African art where he saw a sign showing a high-heeled shoe with a red cross on top of it. The message of the sign was simple, that high-heeled shoes were not permitted at the museum. The silhouette of the heel never left his mind.
In 1980 he undertook an apprenticeship at Cabaret Folies Bergere and began making shoes for dancers. After two years, he moved on to work at Charles Jourdan, where he learned the ins and outs of the shoe business. In 1992, he finally co-founded Christian Louboutin with two close friends. Soon, he attracted the attention and likes of Princess Caroline of Monaco and also Madonna as his early customers, which helped his shoes to be known worldwide.
You can spot a Louboutin’s shoes from their red soles. He founded inspiration for his trademark red outer soles in 1993. "My assistant was sitting there, painting her nails red. I took one look and decided to color my soles red as a statement for the season," Louboutin told Footwear News. "I thought, 'Oh my god! Red soles are so flirtatious,' and my customers asked me not to stop.” The trademarked red soles eventually became a subtle status symbol for his costumers.
“Red is more than a color. It is a symbol of love, of blood, of passion.” - Louboutin
Over the years, Louboutin continued to design artistic yet sexy footwear. He said in an interview, ”For inspiration, I often imagine a courtesan living out her life in a circus”. A typical pair of his luxury shoes, apart from having his signature red sole, might also have a stiletto heel, and upper parts of colored leather or exotic skins with the cost of a pair ranging from nearly $400 to
$6,000.
Louboutins are one of the most iconic shoes in the world and can be spotted very easily just by peeking at someone’s shoe soles. While red shoes give off the vibes of power, sensuality, and passion, I think red soles are just as powerful in giving those vibes but in a more subtle way.
While it might not be proper to wear red stilettos to many places such as work or business meetings but you can put on a pair of black Louboutin’s with red soles to those places and feel as powerful and sensual you want and I think this is the mastermind behind the red soles and why men and women love them so much.
