Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) - Essay Example Christian Louboutin is a prominent French designer whose footwear has entailed shiny, red-lacquered soles, which have grown to become his signature. Christian Louboutin can be regarded as one of the most creative and prominent designers working today. Initially, his unique red-soled shoes were seen as a top secret treasure of an elite circle of Louboutin enthusiasts; nevertheless, sustained media attention has introduced Louboutin to the world and heralded unparalleled levels of popularity. As a result, Louboutin is worn by both fashion insiders and fashion-mindful celebrities and stylish women. The research of Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) is critical and should be understood by designer practitioners who strive to create unbeatable, unique brands. The essay seeks to engage students within a search for and analysis of contemporary design research. Background Louboutin started sketching shoes in his early teen years at the detriment of his academic endeavours. Louboutin had minimal formal training comprising of drawing and decorative arts at the Academie d’Art Roederer. For more than two decades, Louboutin’s designs including boot made from various animal hairs and a towering ten-inch slipper has been a market leader of luxury shoe design. The multiplicity of detail, form, and style are embodied in Louboutin’s shoes and designs can be regarded as reinforcing the allure of his one-of-a-kind creations (Welters and Lillethun 2011, p.511). Louboutin’s success can be partly linked to his love of travel, entertainment, and architecture, which guarantees that no two pairs of shoes are analogous (Craik 2009, p.29). Louboutin entered into the fashion industry in 1982 when he started as an intern at Charles Jourdan. For the subsequent decade, Louboutin learned his craft as he freelanced for high-profile fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel. It was in 1992 that he launched his first shoe boutique in Paris, a number that has risen to over twenty five boutiques across the globe. Louboutin’s sought to avail his clients with an unbeatable experience, given that for each collection that he produced he would select artisans with certain skills, maintaining that it was essential to have his shoes crafted by skilled craftspeople rather than modern, mass-production machines (Welters and Lillethun 2011, p.512). Louboutin’s unique designs can be regarded as mainly influenced by fantasy, sex, and playfulness (Vartanian 2012, p.8). Discussion Louboutin’s distinct designs and signature features red-sole, high-heeled shoes are highly popular, especially among celebrities. Lo uboutin applies individualized approach when designing his collections to guarantee that he generates consistently innovative and desirable collections. His designs can be regarded to be in different, but highly appropriate design. This reinforces the notion that Louboutin’s shoes are not simple pieces of clothing, but also pieces of art (Renfrew and Renfrew 2009, p.117). Louboutin managed to develop an unmistakable signature by ensuring that all of his shoes featured bright red soles. A characteristic pair of his luxury shoes might also feature a stiletto heel and upper parts of coloured leather or exotic reptile skins. The price of the shoes normally ranges around $800 a pair. Louboutin’s shoes are renowned globally for their remarkably innovative design and distinctive glossy red sole. Louboutin’s lacquered red sole trademark is perceived as a â€Å"subtle status symbol† and can be regarded as highly alluring relative to the overt branding of the big-n ame luxury brands (Rauf and Vescia 2007, p.16). Louboutin contended that his utilization of the red colour mirror his conviction that red colour is a symbol of passion, blood,