THE HEIGHT OF STYLE
AS ICONIC FRENCH SHOE DESIGNER CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN TEAMS UP WITH INDIAN FASHION DESIGNER SABYASACHI MUKHERJI FOR A SPECIAL COLLECTION, HE TELLS SUJATA ASSOMULL WHY IT’S ALWAYS “QUALITY FIRST” FOR HIM
he son of a French cabinet-maker, Christian Louboutin is today the man behind the most coveted shoe brand in the world and the “Loubi” is a known term even among those not in the industry. His red soles are the ultimate trademark of style. And the man himself is one of fashion industry’s most feted and loved designers: admired for his creativity, respected for his principles and adored for his loyalty.
For the second year in a row, shoe maestro Louboutin has collaborated with Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherji for a collection of shoes; this time, bags have also been included. It’s a collection tailor-made for the Indian bridal market.
Recently, he was in India via a pit stop in Dubai. (In Dubai, he held a VIP event for his clients and also managed to fit in an interview with Vogue Arabia’s editor-in-chief Deena Aljumi Adulaziz; then, it was dinner with close friends at Roberto’s in DIFC.) The “Loubi” collaboration with Sabyasachi includes ankle strap flats, golden 140mm heels, embroidered open toe boots, men’s loafers and clutches with fringe details. “We are similar — that is why it works. A collaboration should never be complicated,” says the designer.
Louboutin is a man who understands collaborations, as he’s worked with Louis Vuitton on a limited edition bag and also with Mattel’s Barbie, when he created shoes for the iconic doll. Louis Vuitton is the father brand of luxury fashion so when the French house asked six other designers, including Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld and architect Frank Gehry, to come out with a collection that reinterpreted its famous monogram, it was the talk of fashion. “The Louis Vuitton project was exciting to me as I knew they were so careful about quality… quality is never compromised,” he notes.
Quality is something Louboutin can never compromise with, which explains why he has never worked with high street brands. (In fact, the Christian Louboutin X Sabyasachi show was a few days after the global unveiling of the HM X Kenzo launch. For 12 years, H&M, the Swedish retail giant, has been working with high-end designers to come up with a capsule collection that is sold out within hours.) While high street brands have been interested to work with Louboutin, this French designer believes such a partnership is not for his label. “I am obsessed with quality — be it the design of a heel or the quality of leather.” For him, to be a designer of luxury means you put quality before everything.
This commitment to quality in evident in everything he does — from his beauty range to his just-launched perfumes.
He is presently working with watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, and says he loves them because they never complain about his ideas being too “complicated” and because he has access to all their teams.
Attention to detail shows in the Christian Louboutin X Sabyasachi collection — something that has to do with Louboutin’s personal style. For instance, when he talks to people, he is actually interested to know what drives them; and when he comes to a city to open up a store, he wants to truly understand the soul of the city.
This is how the project with Sabyasachi happened. India is a country Louboutin has visited many times, much before he opened his first flagship in India, in 2012. The Sabyasachi store in Mumbai was the store everyone was talking about — its interiors had a museum-like feel, the service was always on-point and the range was something India had never seen before. Louboutin made a trip to the store, bought something, and it was when he handed over his credit card that the sales assistant realised that she was attending to the shoe maestro. As luck would have it, Kolkata-based Sabyasachi was in the store too, and the two met. It was instant appreciation which turned into friendship. “It was through him [Sabyasachi] I really learnt the importance of weddings in India,” he says. And so the idea was born. Last year, at India Couture Week, the first Christian Louboutin X Sabyasachi collection was unveiled. The second collection, much stronger that the first one — be it in terms of style or range — has the trademark embellishments of Sabyasachi and the studs that have become Louboutin signature. Yet, they do not look over the top. Shown alongside Sabyasachi’s latest couture collection, Firdaus, there is no doubt that the shoes and bags were the stars of the night. While it has not been decided whether these shoes will retail in Dubai stores, they are worth making a trip to Delhi or Mumbai for.