COVERS FOR THE AGES

THE DESIGNER HAS APPEARED ON FN COVERS MANY TIMES THROUGH THE YEARS. HERE, FIVE MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM PAST STORIES.

“There wasn't a Gucci Group when I started out. Now all those competing groups and megabrands are everywhere. I don't belong to the world of designers who are all about marketing. Everybody's different, but I did not build a company to make lots of money or because I wanted to work in fashion, but because I wanted to design and make my own shoes. Period.” — April 2007, when he solidified his standing as the worldʼs hottest shoe designer “The type of celebrity I am — if you can call it celebrity — is perfectly easy [to live with],” he said. “When people refer to your name, it is totally different [than recognizing me]. I would really have a hard time having the kind of celebrity that actors do, where people are stopping you all the time. Itʼs not about me; itʼs about the shoes.” — November 2010, when the designer received FNʼs Person of the Year Award “At Barneys, I was doing this appearance and Patti LaBelle came with a suitcase of shoes [for me to sign]. I said, ʻListen, a lot of people are waiting, so Iʼm going to have you wait over here, but would you mind singing for everyone?ʼ She was super sweet. She started singing for everyone in Barneys. — June 2010, reflecting on a favorite store moment “I donʼt think about… whether Iʼm more trendy or less trendy [than before]. I donʼt question myself. Iʼm excited about my work, and that keeps me going. Itʼs important that people like what Iʼm doing, but I donʼt necessarily want to evaluate my work through other peopleʼs eyes.” — August 2014, the year Louboutin launched beauty “For me, [designing shoes] was my way to express myself, but I didnʼt think of it as a business concept. A lot of people study how I used the red sole as a trademark, but I never thought about it. Iʼve been studied almost like a mechanical character when, in reality, there is no mechanism in my story.” — May 2017, ahead of his FN Summit appearance