Some shoe designers work for others while some work for themselves. Having the title “Shoe Designer” doesn’t necessarily mean the designer has complete freedom. Many work under more “senior” designers who tell them w
hat to design to pass on to the team below them.
Christian Louboutin pumps Decollete PinkIt takes several designers to create shoes, but some of the biggest names, like
Christian Louboutin, claim to personally decorate each shoe himself. Not everyone will end up like him, unfortunately. A typical designer starts out banking around 45,000 per year and the salary rises as one gains experience in the industry. There is no
cap on how much one can make. It is possible to earn into the millions if a line sells well.”Women don’t buy shoes – they look at themselves and their legs in silhouette – I saw that with the dancers,” says Louboutin, 41, whose nightclub subjects wore little beside their footwear.
There is a luxurious, oriental glamour to the boutique, where a curtain decorated with arabesques, mirrors with curlicue frames and a decorative screen bring a touch of the exotic.
Christian Louboutin shoesBorn in Brittany but, he believes, with Tahitian blood in the family history, Louboutin has a penchant for the Middle East and has a vacation home in Egypt, on the Nile at Luxor.How did Louboutin get from gawping at dancers to fitting his creations on classy beauties such as Princess Caroline of Monaco, Catherine Deneuve and Queen Rania of Jordan, not to mention Hollywood princesses Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow?He passed through two iconic French houses, Charles Jourdan and Roger Vivier, where he helped organize a retrospective and handled shoes with a history of being created for Marlene Dietrich in performance, for the coronation of the shah of Iran and for Christian Dior haute couture.”It was working with Jourdan and Roger Vivier that made me realize that shoe design was a real metier” Louboutin says.
After he set up business with a silent partner in 1991, just after the Gulf war,
NBA L.A. Lakers, Louboutin built his business on his two assets: skill and charm. As well as garnering a clientele, he also collaborated with the designers of his generation from Chloe, through Roland Mouret,Viktor & Rolf or Matthew Williamson. Working for Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture line prepared him for the moment when Yves Saint Laurent called on him to make the shows for his farewell collection in 2002.
christian louboutin sample saleFor the past three seasons, Louboutin has also made handbags and his tiny company is now spilling into the courtyard behind, where white shoeboxes with “Louboutin” in rounded letters are piled like library books round the walls. The staff list has risen from 2 to 15, and there are boutiques in London, Los Angeles, Moscow and New York, where Louboutin pays tribute to Barneys for the store’s support.
The top fashion and unique high heels-Christian Lo
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