What Is Christian Louboutin Famous For
Red bottoms are a legend within the world of luxury fashion. Every woman set their sights on buying a pair of infamous red bottoms.
Christian Louboutin and a guest attend the The French Dispatch screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021, in Cannes, France
Christian Louboutins are amongst the most recognizable shoes in the world. Theyve 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 soles
Whether youre loyal to red bottoms or buying your first pair, were rounding up everything you need to know about the brand. Were also sharing the most popular Christian Louboutin shoes of all time.
Make sure to bookmark this guide on Christian Louboutin shoes to help write your dream shoe list.
How Red Bottom Shoes Made Christian Louboutin Famous
Christian Louboutin, the French-Egyptian fashion designer from Paris, France is a name synonymous with luxury footwear.
While the famous red-bottom soles were originally created by accident, there is no accident in the success of this fashion empire.
Shoe designer Christian Louboutin signs his famous red sole shoes for fans at Barneys New York in New York City on May 1, 2008, in New York City
Today, the man behind this brand is as popular as ever, as he and his team continue to evolve the shoe, bag, and accessory company into its next phase for both their male and female customers.
Applying Public To Your Business
So think about your own business or brand. How can you apply the built to show, built to grow mentality? Is there some type of visual you can attach to your products to make them unmistakable, like the Christian Louboutins red soles? If you have a storefront, how can you turn your windows into a spectacle?
If you want to influence an audience to buy your products or to become a customer, try to build brand awareness in a different way. Throwing money at advertisements isnt always the answer. Sometimes, all you have to do is create something special that becomes a trademark identifier of your brand over time.
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The Secret Science Behind Red Bottom Shoes
by Brianne Fleming | Oct 30, 2019 |
In my last podcast episode of Making the Brand, my guest Gina and I talked about what bloggers can learn from Sex and the City. One of the things we touched on was Carrie Bradshaws obsession with shoes, which really stems from Sarah Jessica Parkers real-life obsession with shoes.
But on the show, Carrie has no problem dropping hundreds of dollars on designer shoes. I guess you can say shoes are her guilty pleasure. Throughout the entire series, Carrie and the other characters touch on some of their favorite luxury brands from Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Dior, Fendi, Prada, etc.
No pun intended here, but on the heels of that episode, I want to talk about another brand of heels that has become a huge part of popular culture, in large part thanks to Sex and the City. Im talking about what we know as red bottom shoes, which is a moniker for the real brand name, Christian Louboutin.
Red Runner $1195 At Matches Fashion
Christian Louboutin has expanded its range of shoes to include sneakers, jumping on one of the biggest trends in designer fashion right now.
The Red Runner is Christian Louboutins take on todays sneaker trend
The Red Runner comes in various colors and textures. These shoes are perfect for any red bottom fan who wants a unique style of designer sneakers.
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Designer Christian Louboutin Goes To Court To Protect His Precious Red Soles
French fashion designer Christian Louboutin is known worldwide for shoes with an eye-catching, red lacquer sole shoes that typically sell for $500 and up. When a well-heeled celebrity or socialite reveals that quick flash of red from the bottom of her sexy stilettos, its powerful publicity for the respected fashion house. You might remember when Khloé Kardashian recently showed off her baby bump while wearing a pair of Louboutin pumps.
But the latest news involving the fashion designer has far less to do with who is wearing his shoes and more to do with what makes his brand stand out namely, those crimson soles. Louboutin once said, 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.
It seems that other fashion retailers are trying to capitalize on Louboutins red signature, which is why he asked the European Court of Justice to stop Dutch chain Van Haren from selling shoes with a similar red sole, arguing that he had trademark protection registered in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for that particular shade of red. But the court in February disagreed, saying a trademark combining color and shape may be refused or declared invalid on the grounds set out under EU trademark law. In other words, the color alone was not enough to protect Louboutin from knockoffs.
Surprise Ruling
Counterfeiting and Profit Loss
The Beginning Of The Red Bottom
The iconic red-lacquered sole has become this brands identity. But how did that red bottom come to be?
After two years of designing luxury shoes, Louboutin wanted to change the current design.
He was inspired by Andy Warhols Flowers, but his prototype left him wanting more. Thankfully that day in his studio, an assistant was sitting nearby and painting her nails red.
Christian Louboutins shiny, red-lacquered soles have become his signature
There was this big black sole, and then, thank God, there was this girl painting her nails at the time, said Louboutin.
With a stroke of genius, he decided he would paint the bottom of his shoes red. That simple moment changed the path of his brand forever. The exact color of the Chinese red sole is Pantone 18-1663 TPX.
Louboutin has commented about the obvious sex appeal of his chosen color, Men are like bulls. They cannot resist the red sole.
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Louboutin Wins Case To Trademark Signature Red
- EmbedEmbed
The European Unions highest court has ruled that designer Christian Louboutin can trademark his companys signature red-soled shoes.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Now a story with sole.
JENNIFER LOPEZ: Im throwing on my Louboutins. Im throwing on my Louboutins.
CARDI B: These expensive, these is red bottoms, these is bloody shoes.
SHAPIRO: Louboutins the designer shoe with the red soles.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
Theyre all over celebrity magazines and pop culture. Carrie Bradshaw had them on when Miranda went into labor in Sex And The City.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER: And thus, with a destroyed pair of Christian Louboutins, began Mirandas delivery.
SHAPIRO: Theres even a reference to them in the new Mean Girls musical on Broadway.
TAYLOR LOUDERMAN: I will grind you to sand beneath my Louboutin heel.
CORNISH: And this week, thats what designer Christian Louboutin did in court. He won a legal case protecting those trademark red soles.
SHAPIRO: The European Court of Justice ruled that a Dutch company had infringed on the trademark by selling its own red-soled shoes.
SUSAN SCAFIDI: And the reason why this case had to go all the way to the Court of Justice of the European Union is that there was a question are those red soles a shape or are they a color?
SCAFIDI: It means that no other company can use red soles legitimately because the red soles are not just a cool, decorative element. They are a sign or a signifier of the Louboutin company.
Are Red Bottoms Uncomfortable
Louboutin shoes are known for being uncomfortable “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,” he explains to Vogue. … “I don’t want people to look at my shoes and say: ‘They look really comfortable! says the designer.
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Red Bottoms In Pop Culture
Youve probably seen countless celebrities wear Christian Louboutin shoes from Taylor Swift, to Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Meghan Markle, Selena Gomez, Blake Lively, Rihanna, and Katy Perry. And at a price point of $800 and up, theyve really become a status symbol.
Speaking of Christian Louboutins high price point, you may recall this being referenced in Ariana Grandes song, 7 rings, which is all about lavish spending and luxury. In one of the lyrics, she says that happiness is the same price as red bottoms.
There are a ton of other references to red bottoms in pop culture. Jennifer Lopez has an entire song called Louboutins. Hip hop star, Trina, has a song called Long Heels Red Bottoms, Cardi B mentions them in her song Bodak Yellow, and they are prominently featured in the TV show, Breaking Bad.
So what is it about red bottoms that makes them so special? I personally dont own a pair and have never tried them on, but its fascinating to hear Christian Louboutin himself talk about how these heels make women feel. He says they completely change your body language and you feel this sense of confidence from head to toe. In fact, he says its more important to feel sexy than comfortable I think some women would beg to differ, ha!
Christian Louboutin openly acknowledges the shoes high price point, yet I love that he stands behind it. Theyre certainly a premium product, but you also get what you pay for. These shoes are nothing short of quality.
What Are Red Bottom Shoes
If you are a person alive on the internet, chances are that you have heard about the infamous red bottom shoes.
When someone calls shoes red bottoms they are simply referring to a pair of Christian Louboutin sneakers as they have an iconic red bottom.
These iconic shoes are a point of serious media focus ranging from being in famous musicals like Mean Girls on Broadway to getting attention for their unique design and expensive nature.
For many people, their first exposure was caused by the internet Bridezilla who demanded that every person in her wedding wear them alongside truly horrific outfits that were meant to cost thousands of dollars .
However, if you have only heard of them in passing or you are only now learning about this peculiar type of shoe now, you are probably wondering what red bottom shoes actually are.
In their simplest form, they are shoes with red bottoms, but the truth behind them is a little more complicated than that.
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Are Louboutins The Only Shoes With Red Soles
In September 2012, the court finally ruled that Louboutin retains the exclusive right to use the color red on the bottom of its shoes whenever the outer portion of the shoe is any color besides red, while Yves Saint Laurent can continue to sell its shoes with red soles as long as the whole shoe is red.
Christian Louboutin: Red Soles High Heels And A Global Quest For Trademark Rights
On the tree-lined Avenue George V in Paris 8th Arrondissement, mere steps from the Seine and just across the street from where Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his own maison in 1937, Yves Saint Laurents team was in the midst of working on the brands Resort offerings in early April 2011 when a package arrived. The stack of documents was hand-delivered to the fashion house in Paris, as well as to its American headquarters on the heavily foot-trafficked 57th Street, nestled between Louis Vuitton and Chanels midtown outposts, and addressed to Yves Saint Laurent America, Inc. and its Paris-based entity, Yves Saint Laurent SAS.
Fifteen years prior, Christian Louboutin was on the receiving end of a delivery of its own. A carefully packaged prototype of a high heel shoe arrived from Italy to the workshop of the budding Parisian brand. The concept shoe, with its stacked heel and floral applique, was missing something. As the story goes, the designer, Mr. Christian Louboutin, reached for a bottle of red nail polish Thank God, there was this girl painting her nails at the time, he told the New Yorker and with that, the shoes sole went from a dull black to a striking red. Then it popped, and the foundation of a footwear revolution was born.
Inside that package addressed to Yves Saint Laurent was not a shoe it was a complaint. Christian Louboutin was suing the company for more than $1 million.
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Why Is It Expensive: The Christian Louboutin Red Soles
If you know your fashion basics, youd know that every brand has a signature product that acts as its insignia, a sort of letimotif Bulgari has its Serpenti, Chanel its tweed, and Burberry its trench. Luxury shoe aficionados familiar with French designer Christian Louboutin will know that his most iconic offering are his red soles. Since the inception of the eponymous label in 1991, Louboutin has been at the forefront of footwear innovation, developing a cult following in a very short time. And the story of how in 1993 the designer launched these famed red soles is a popular one. Its said that Louboutin spotted one of his employees applying red nail polish, and he picked up the varnish and painted the soles of a prototype, red. The result? Exquisitely crafted heels with red-lacquered soles that youd recognise from a distance as being Loubs.
So how much do these red soles cost? Customised Louboutin red soles can touch a whopping US$6,000 . In 2009, an exclusive capsule collection from the brand was Marie Antoinette, of which only 36 pairs were created, priced at US$6,200 .
The customisation services start at US$4,000 , and when you have loyal clients such as novelist Danielle Steel who owns over 6,000 Louboutin pairs, there is hardly anything out of bounds. The only think to do is start thinking of what you want .
All images: Courtesy Christian Louboutin
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The Most Closely Watched Case In Fashion
Within a matter of days, the media was abuzz. Christian Louboutins legal team had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in a New York federal court, giving rise to what would swiftly become one of the most famous footwear lawsuits in fashion history. After all, on the receiving end of that complaint was not a fast fashion retailer like Zara or a frequently-sued footwear company like Steve Madden it was a fellow luxury goods brand, and at the heart of the closely-watched lawsuit was Louboutins trademark-protected red sole and its allegations that by selling $800-plus red high heeled shoes that also bore a red sole, YSL was infringing the federal trademark registration that Louboutin had maintained since January 2008.
In its lawsuit, Louboutin asserted that the red-soled YSL shoes were being sold in many of the exact same stores and websites as its own shoes, thereby enabling YSL to confuse consumers and take unfair advantage of the enormous goodwill and brand recognition in the red sole trademark that has developed over the past two decades. The sale of identical and/or highly similar shoes by YSL was actively impairing Louboutins ability to control its reputation, and the quality and careful distribution of Louboutin footwear.
A Christian Louboutin shoe & an Yves Saint Laurent shoe
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Reasons Why Christian Louboutin Heels Are Worth The Splurge
Red Sole Man: Christian Louboutin’s Signature Shoe Has Made Him An Icon
His signature red-soled shoe has made him a fashion icon.
PARIS, Nov. 18, 2011& #151 — While few people might recognize his face, his sole is one of the most recognized in the world.
Famous French shoe-designer Christian Louboutin is the man behind the sexy, sky-high, signature red-soled shoes, which have been seen on the feet of superstars including Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johannson and Jennifer Lopez . Even Barbie dolls have their own custom mini-sized Louboutins.
This month, Louboutin celebrates his 20th anniversary with a new self-titled book, published by Rizzoli. It’s an ode to his outrageous shoes. His next project — a line of red-soled shoes for men, is due out next spring.
This 47-year-old sole man, who practices the trapeze and rides around Paris on a bright red Vespa scooter, can often be found at his atelier, where his famed shoes are designed and handmade. He makes no apologies for those sky-high prices either — Louboutins can sell from $495 and up, with crystal-encrusted pair costing $6,000.
“I would say that a good shoe is exactly like a good wine,” Louboutin said. “These shoes are going to stay and last for a long time.”
While fashion overrides comfort for Louboutin — many of his shoes are seven-inch high heels — the designer says he has a very specific customer in mind when he sketches a shoe.
“It’s sort of you know it’s a sort of expression. I like my customer to be fierce,” he said.
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