Opening today the Design Museum presents the first UK retrospective of iconic French shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Celebrating 20 years since his first shop opened in Paris, the exhibition reveals...
Opening today, the Design Museum presents the first UK retrospective of iconic French shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Celebrating 20 years since his first shop opened in Paris, the exhibition reveals the inspiration, artistry, craftsmanship and theatricality behind his signature red-soled footwear. Adorning the feet of the world’s most famous and glamorous women, Louboutin designs for every woman’s “inner showgirl” and believes that a successful shoe is one that preserves and accentuates nudity, leaving the foot as the object of desire: “Designing shoes is a magicians work – a shoe should be visible but sometimes needs to be invisible.”
Centering around these assertions, a neon “Entrée” sign hangs over the entrance to the exhibition and the first floor of the Design Museum is transformed into a cabaret showcase: an excess of red velvet, bare bulbed mirrored plinths, decadent seating and a carousel display. Every half hour the exhibition’s centrepiece is dedicated to a three-dimensional holographic performance by burlesque dancer (and one of Louboutin’s most loyal customers) Dita von Teese, and further emphasises the inherent sexuality and elegance of his designs. “As a designer, my inspiration has remained the same over 20 years but there has been a revolution in the design of the shoe,” explains Louboutin. “During the first 10 years, I was creating shoes that were much more dressy, now they are much more sexy. This is really the ‘ying’ and ‘yang’; of my work – to combine sexiness with elegance.”
"If there was to be just only one fetish element in a woman’s wardrobe, I think it would have to be her shoes"
A corner of the exhibition is also dedicated to a series one-off fetishitic shoes that celebrate the arch and the in-step of a women’s foot. Not intended to be worn they were made for Louboutin’s collaborative project with filmmaker David Lynch who shot them on two “Crazy Horse” dancers for an exhibition called “Fetish” at Galerie du Passage, Paris in 2007. In the current exhibition the evocative images are displayed alongside glass cases of the extraordinary designs, and are given added poignance by the fact that Louboutin has recently created four original tableaux for the Crazy Horse’s new show “Feu”.
Here Louboutin shares some of the key themes behind his world-famous designs…
Christian Louboutin on showgirls…
“Ever since I was very young I have been obsessed with spike heels, the showgirls influenced me a lot. If you like high heels, it's really the ultimate high heel, it's all about the legs, how they carry themselves, the embellishment of the body. They are the ultimate icons.”
Christian Louboutin on entertainment…
“For me, the front and back of the shoe evoke the different aspects of femininity. The front is about poise, allure, stature, elegance, immobility, it's Marlene [Dietrich] always sublime from head-on, arched foot. The back is the gait, the movement, the heel. It's Marilyn [Monroe] who, moreover, was often shown from behind... There are these two types of women with regard to shoes – those who symbolise the look and those who symbolise the walk.”
Christain Louboutin on fetish…
“Most people see shoes as an accessory to walk in, however some shoes are made for running – and some shoes are made for sex. If there was to be just only one fetish element in a woman’s wardrobe, I think it would have to be her shoes, even without being stilettos.”
Christian Louboutin on transparency…
“I'm a great fan of transparency, it suggests nudity its as if things were designed directly on the body and that a layer had been removed, in this case the clothing. That's what transparency is - applying onto the body things that then become part of it, like a tattoo.”
Christian Louboutin runs at the Design Museum from today until July 9.
Text by Lucia Davies
