Christian Louboutin: "Men are great sneaker fetishes"
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by Paola Montanaro
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After seducing women for years – and continuing to do so – with his iconic high-heeled shoes with red soles, much to the delight of partners and husbands, French designer Christian Louboutin is ready to make a mark in the world of men’s footwear. Although the two worlds are completely different, and require a different approach and sensitivity, Monsieur Louboutin has fully understood both, with a beautiful analysis halfway between costume and sociology, which the designer of one of the world’s most famous shoe brands shared with us during a pleasant interview in a room at one of the most beautiful hotels in Florence, overlooking the historic Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, the setting for an event-tournament organized by the designer himself to launch the new sneaker collection.
Monsieur Louboutin, let’s start with the new collection, why sneakers?"Sneakers in men’s fashion are something not entirely traditional, but in fact a classic. Many men have a form of fetishism towards sneakers, an almost irrational form of possession of sneakers, they never have enough: I know men who have huge sneaker collections. And if you think about it, it’s quite bizarre, it’s a bit like the relationship women have with high-heeled shoes. Sneakers are a sort of male excitement, much more than the classic shoes that I also love, like derbies, oxfords, which men are happy to have, but they don’t have the same level of passion for these classics as they do for sneakers".
What’s new in this new collection?"I wanted a sporty sneaker that was well-made, not specifically technical for a certain sport, but could also be worn in the city. A sporty yet urban shoe that men can wear every day. I greatly admire people who have the passion and discipline to make sport their life. These new Aurelien sneakers are characterized by a complex construction, with an innovative mix of authentic Italian craftsmanship and innovative production technology. Each one takes two full days of work, with 50 elements to create the body and outsole of a single shoe, 100 in a pair. A neoprene sock lined in red cradles the foot, ensuring maximum comfort and allowing the shoe to be worn unlaced".
What is the difference in designing shoes for the female audience versus the male audience?"They are two completely different worlds. The technicality and the way men wear shoes make a big difference. When a woman enters a store to buy shoes, she tries them on and immediately goes to the mirror, not looking at her feet, but at her front, profile, back, and if she likes herself in her overall appearance, if everything is balanced correctly, then she buys those shoes. A man is different, he enters, puts on the shoes, stomps his feet on the ground, feels that they are comfortable, and doesn’t even go to look at himself in the mirror. For women, comfort comes later, there is a different attitude between the two worlds".
Is it more difficult to design a collection for women or for men?"It’s not so much about being more or less complicated, it’s just different. For example, I find that men have a more feminine relationship with their shoes, while women have a more masculine relationship with their shoes. Let me explain: a woman is rarely seen cleaning her own shoes or applying wax to make them shine. Men, on the contrary, pay more attention, they clean them every Sunday, wipe them with a cloth, take care of them, they have a more delicate relationship. Furthermore, men often take pride in owning shoes for a long time, whereas I don’t know so many women who are proud or even just say they have had shoes for a long time".
Maybe because women love to buy them"Women love to buy more, they love new things, they desire shoes. And the interesting thing is that recently, things are changing and the same mechanism is happening in the male universe: the men’s store in Paris is close to my office, and often when I go out for coffee, I meet customers who may have just bought a pair of my shoes, they stop me and say they are happy to also have a pair of my shoes and to experience that same excitement that their partners feel when they buy a pair of my shoes".
Why Pitti to present the new collection?"I’ve known Napoleone (Raffaello, CEO of Pitti Immagine) for a long time and besides his friendliness, I appreciate his enthusiasm. I have turned down collaborations in the past because I felt they were being done just because they had to be. Napoleone’s enthusiasm is the same as I put into my work, without which I wouldn’t be able to do anything. And he loves his city just as much as I love mine, which is Paris. During Pitti, Florence becomes the ideal setting to present one’s work, it’s not as stressful as a city gets during fashion week, and its gardens, its hills are the perfect blend that I found as a mirror for the collection, halfway between sport and urban".
