POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

Christian Louboutin (born in France 1964) worked for various shoe companies including Roger Vivier, who was famous for promoting the stiletto heel during the 1950s. Louboutin had become knowledgeable about footwear before opening his Parisian boutique in1991. His shoes are unconventional and he likes to be associated with the decorative arts rather than fashion. Influenced by Roger Vivier, his work has a handcrafted decorative quality. Although he had boutiques in Paris and New York, at the time the shoes were purchased, Louboutins were produced in limited quantities with a maximum production run of 50 pairs. Inspired by diverse sources such as landscape gardening and pop culture, his designs are noteworthy for their whimsical details such as the shaping of the 'Maskovitch's vamp which features a mask.. Louboutin appreciates the skills of traditional artisans and collaborates personally with master craftsmen in Parabiago, near Milan. He seeks artisans with specific skills such as embroidery, hammered metal or leatherwork for each collection and wants to contribute towards keeping their crafts going, even though he knows that he could get the work done more quickly in his factories. His trademark is the red sole. This feature came about when he felt that some of his prototypes were a little dull. While considering this, his assistant was painting her nails red. He grabbed her nail polish and applied it to the soles, transforming a part of the shoe that used to be insignificant into an instagram-worthy focal point. According to an article by the Design Museum posted in September 2014, Louboutin's designs begin with sketches. From the original sketches, he hopes to remain faithful to the original design and resolves technical problems later with his team. He designs two collections each year and does so in environments that reflect the climate for which he's designing. He therefore designs his Autumn/Winter collection in a chateau in France or at his house in Portugal. He often designs his Spring/Summer collection in Egypt. At the time these stilettos entered the MAAS collection, Louboutin had boutiques in New York and Paris. Despite operating two boutiques, the shoes were produced in limited quantities with a maximum production run of 50 pairs. The 'Maskovitch' sandals are designed by Christian Louboutin and made in Italy in1995 for the Summer collection. Information about the design process from The Design Museum, 'Christian Louboutin', Posted September 11. 2014, https://designmuseum.org/designers/christian-louboutin .