:Christian Louboutin

Louboutin was born and raised in Paris's 12th arrondissement. He was the only son of Roger, a cabinet-maker,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/03/28/110328fa_fact_collins |magazine=The New Yorker |first=Lauren |last=Collins |title=Sole Mate |date=28 March 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323045437/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/03/28/110328fa_fact_collins |archive-date=2011-03-23}} and Irene, a homemaker{{cite web|last=van den Broeke |first=Teo |date=2021-06-04 |title=Christian Louboutin: 'When I started to see it come together, it was almost 40 years of work. I've got a legacy' |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/christian-louboutin-profile |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=British GQ |language=en-GB |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620072019/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/christian-louboutin-profile |archive-date=2021-06-20}} from Brittany. He had three sisters. Louboutin said in a 2012 interview that he was "much darker-skinned than everyone else in my family. You know, I felt like I wasn't French. My family was very French and so I decided they had probably adopted me. But instead of feeling it was terrible and that I was an outsider who had to go and find my real family, I invented my own history, full of characters from Egypt, because I was very into the pharaohs."{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/scotland/interview-christian-louboutin-shoe-designer-1-2278783 |work=The Scotsman |first=Chitara |last=Ramaswamy |title=Interview: Christian Louboutin, shoe designer |date=8 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520100249/http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/scotland/interview-christian-louboutin-shoe-designer-1-2278783 |archive-date=2013-05-20}} He discovered that he had Egyptian heritage from his biological father, who had been in a secret relationship with his mother Irene, as revealed by one of his sisters in 2014.{{cite episode|title=Christian Louboutin: The World's Most Luxurious Shoes |url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/louboutin-the-worlds-most-luxurious-shoes |series=Documentaries |station=Channel 4, UK |date=11 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821165955/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/louboutin-the-worlds-most-luxurious-shoes |archive-date=2015-08-21}} Narrator: Fiona Flynn.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/facts-we-learned-from-christian-louboutin-documentary/ |work=The Telegraph |first=Bibby |last=Sowray |title=11 things we learned from Christian Louboutin: The World's Most Luxurious Shoes |date=12 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814025818/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/facts-we-learned-from-christian-louboutin-documentary/ |archive-date=2015-08-14}}

Louboutin was expelled from school three times and then he decided to run away from home at the age of 12,{{cite news|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2011/11/24/christian-louboutin-v-and-a-talk |work=British Vogue |first=Ella |last=Alexander |title=Legend of Louboutin |date=28 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127024408/http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2011/11/24/christian-louboutin-v-and-a-talk |archive-date=2011-11-27}} at which point his mother allowed him to move out to live at a friend's house.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christian-louboutin-sexual-heeling-2377441.html |work=The Independent |location=London |first=Harriet |last=Walker |title=Christian Louboutin: Sexual heeling |date=29 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029132247/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christian-louboutin-sexual-heeling-2377441.html |archive-date=2011-10-29}} He faced much opposition when he decided to drop out from school. However, he claims that what helped him make up his mind was an interview on TV with Sophia Loren, in which she introduced her sister. She stated that she had to leave school when she was only 12, but got her degree when she was 50. He later remarked, "Everybody applauded! And I thought, Well, at least if I regret it I'm going to be like the sister of Sophia Loren!"

As a preteen he was one of the "Bande Du Palace", a group of hard-partying teens and preteens that included Eva Ionesco, who was a fixture of the Parisian nightclub Le Palace.{{cite web|last=Brunel |first=Charlotte |title=Eva Ionesco raconte le Palace |date=15 January 2019 |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/styles/eva-ionesco-raconte-le-palace_2056856.html |access-date=2019-02-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116084111/https://www.lexpress.fr/styles/eva-ionesco-raconte-le-palace_2056856.html |archive-date=2019-01-16}}

Louboutin's passion for designing shoes started at a young age, overshadowing his interest in academics and leading him towards a successful career in fashion. Going through a punk phase, he was in a few films, including the 1979 cult classic Race d'ep and The Homosexual Century, which attracted an English-language audience. His first job was at the Folies Bergère, the cabaret where he assisted the entertainers backstage. He was also a fixture on the city's party scene alongside Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol.

His little formal training included drawing and the decorative arts at the Académie d'Art Roederer. Louboutin says his fascination with shoes began in 1976 when he visited the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie on the avenue Daumesnil. It was there that he saw a sign from Africa forbidding women wearing sharp stilettos from entering a building for fear of damage to the extensive wood flooring. This image stayed in his mind, and he later used this idea in his designs. "I wanted to defy that", Louboutin said. "I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered."{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIPzNlYTU98 |title=Video on Christian Louboutin Shoes |publisher=YouTube |date=4 October 2007 |agency=WatchMojo |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225034134/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIPzNlYTU98 |archive-date=2015-12-25 |access-date=2015-12-15}}

Fascinated by world cultures, he ran away in his teens to Egypt and also spent a year in India. Louboutin returned to Paris in 1981, where he assembled a portfolio of drawings of elaborate high heels. He brought it to the top couture houses. The effort resulted in employment with Charles Jourdan. Subsequently, Louboutin met Roger Vivier, who invented the modern stiletto, or spiked-heel shoe, and the chrome-plated buckle pump. Louboutin became an apprentice in Vivier's atelier, Roger Vivier.{{cite web|title=Christian Louboutin {{!}} Biography, Shoes, Heels, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christian-Louboutin |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

Going on to serve as a freelance designer, Louboutin designed women's shoes for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Maud Frizon. In the late 1980s, he turned away from fashion to become a landscape gardener and to contribute to Vogue but missed working with shoes and set up his company in 1991.

With funds from two backers, he opened a Paris shoe salon in 1991 with Princess Caroline of Monaco as his first customer. She complimented the store one day when a fashion journalist was present, and the journalist's subsequent publication of Princess' comments helped greatly to increase Louboutin's renown. Clients such as Diane von Fürstenberg and Catherine Deneuve followed. Later, those interested in his stiletto heels have included Christina Aguilera, Joan Collins, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Tina Turner, Marion Cotillard, Nicki Minaj, Gwyneth Paltrow and Blake Lively. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a pair of shoes by Louboutin for her wedding. Britney Spears wears a pair of high-heeled Louboutins in her music video "If U Seek Amy" that were not available for sale until a month after the video was released.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/1758856 |work=Fairfax New Zealand |title=Britney adopts raunchy new look |publisher=Fairfax Media |date=2 March 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822125444/http://www.stuff.co.nz/vl-browse/entertainment/1758856/Britney-adopts-raunchy-new-look |archive-date=2022-08-22}}{{cite web|url=http://www.papierdoll.net/themag/2009/02/20/britney-spears-puts-her-foot-down-for-high-fashion-in-new-music-video/ |work=Papier Doll |first=Anthony |last=Jones |title=Britney Spears Puts Her Foot Down For High Fashion in New Music Video |date=20 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724003426/http://www.papierdoll.net/themag/2009/02/20/britney-spears-puts-her-foot-down-for-high-fashion-in-new-music-video/ |archive-date=2011-07-24}}

Louboutin topped the Luxury Institute's annual Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) for three years; the brand's offerings were declared the Most Prestigious Women's Shoes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.runningwithheels.com/index.php/2012/09/christian-louboutin/ |title=Designer Index – Christian Louboutin |publisher=Running With Heels |date=17 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121125234/http://www.runningwithheels.com/index.php/2012/09/christian-louboutin/ |archive-date=2013-01-21 |access-date=2013-06-10}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/17/idUS186612+17-Jun-2008+MW20080617 |title=Luxury Brand Status Index 2008: Footwear |work=Reuters |date=17 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118001003/https://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/17/idUS186612%2B17-Jun-2008%2BMW20080617 |archive-date=2011-11-18 |access-date=2017-06-30}}{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/12/idUS176686+12-Mar-2009+MW20090312 |title=Luxury Brand Status Index 2009: Footwear |work=Reuters |date=12 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602152627/https://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/12/idUS176686%2B12-Mar-2009%2BMW20090312 |archive-date=2011-06-02 |access-date=2017-06-30}} By 2011, Louboutin became the most searched-for shoe brand online.{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/Digital-Luxury/shoe-industry-analysis-by-dlg |title=Analysis of Consumers' Search Intentions and Brands' Social Media Presence |author=Digital Luxury |work=The Luxury Shoe Industry |publisher=Slideshare |date=December 2011 |access-date=30 July 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192920/http://www.slideshare.net/Digital-Luxury/shoe-industry-analysis-by-dlg |archive-date=2013-10-29}}

The Couture Council of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology honoured Louboutin with its 2019 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion in New York City on 4 September 2019.{{cite web|url=http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/support/couture-council/christian-louboutin.php |title=2019 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion: Christian Louboutin |date=n.d. |publisher=Fashion Institute of Technology |access-date=2019-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827024532/http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/support/couture-council/christian-louboutin.php |archive-date=2019-08-27}}

In February 2020, Christian Louboutin had an exhibition in Paris celebrating the 30th-anniversary of Christian Louboutin Ltd.{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/christian-louboutin-lexhibitioniste-palais-de-la-porte-doree |title=Everyone Was in Shoe Heaven at the Opening of Christian Louboutin's Exhibition in Paris |last=Isaac-Goizé |first=Tina |website=Vogue |date=25 February 2020 |access-date=2020-03-04 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126121355/https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/christian-louboutin-lexhibitioniste-palais-de-la-porte-doree |archive-date=2021-01-26}}

Landscape architect Louis Benech has been Louboutin's partner since 1999. The two divide their time among homes in the 1st arrondissement of Paris,{{cite news|url=http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/christian-louboutin-shoe-designer |work=Travel+Leisure |first=Alexandra |last=Marshall |title=Christian Louboutin, Shoe Designer and Stylish Traveler |date=June 2008 |publisher=American Express Publishing Corporation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608024249/http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/christian-louboutin-shoe-designer |archive-date=2008-06-08}} a fisherman's cottage in Lisbon, Portugal,{{cite news|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2010/10/25/christian-louboutin-talks-trapeze |work=British Vogue |first=Ella |last=Alexander |title=On The Ropes |date=25 October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727235542/http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2010/10/25/christian-louboutin-talks-trapeze |archive-date=2011-07-27}} a house in Melides, Portugal, a house in Comporta, Portugal, a palace in Aleppo,{{cite web|title=Christian Louboutin's Fragrance Line Is an International Traveler's Dream |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/christian-louboutin-fragrance-line-loubiworld-interview |website=W Magazine |date=4 November 2020 |language=en |access-date=2023-04-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120143813/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/christian-louboutin-fragrance-line-loubiworld-interview/ |archive-date=2020-11-20}} a houseboat on the Nile christened Dahabibi-my love boat, and a house in Luxor. The Luxor house is a former craftsman's workshop, made of compressed earthen bricks, to which he has added an additional floor and a rooftop belvedere.{{cite news|url=http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/christian-louboutin-home |work=Elle Decor |first=Ruben |last=Modigliani |title=Louboutin at Leisure |publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc |year=2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103141501/http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/christian-louboutin-home |archive-date=2012-01-03}} Louboutin also shares a 13th-century castle in the Vendée with his business partner Bruno Chamberlain.

Louboutin is Léa Seydoux's godfather.{{Cite web |date=2014-07-22 |title=Lea and Christian |url=https://www.pleasemagazine.com/lea-and-christian |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=PLEASE! Magazine |language=en-US}}

File:Louboutin altadama140.jpg

Louboutin helped bring stilettos back into fashion in the 1990s and 2000s,{{cite book |last=Agins |first=Teri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MKkTAwAAQBAJ&dq=christian+louboutin+stiletto+heels+popularized&pg=PT134 |title=Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers |date=2014-10-09 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-698-16215-0 |language=en}} designing dozens of styles with heel heights of 120 mm (4.72 inches) and higher. The designer's professed goal has been to "make a woman look sexy, beautiful, to make her legs look as long as [he] can".{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J7msA3cUXE |title=Christian Louboutin explains why women love shoes |publisher=YouTube |date=14 May 2011 |agency=RTE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/6J7msA3cUXE |archive-date=2021-12-02}}{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wpLa6f5fxE |title=An Audience with Christian Louboutin |publisher=YouTube |date=25 November 2011 |agency=net-a-porter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/-wpLa6f5fxE |archive-date=2021-12-02 |access-date=2015-12-15}} While he does offer some lower-heeled styles, Louboutin is generally associated with dressier evening-wear designs incorporating jewelled straps, bows, feathers, patent leather, red soles and other similar decorative touches. He is most popularly known for the red leather soles on his high-heeled shoes.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/63166 |work=Newsweek |first=Dana |last=Thomas |title=The Sole of Sexiness |date=24 February 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323111744/http://www.newsweek.com/id/63166 |archive-date=2010-03-23}}

Christian Louboutin's red-bottom colour code is Pantone 18-1663 TPX.{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/sell-your-sole-131602 |work=Adweek |first=Robert |last=Klara |title=Sell Your Sole Christian Louboutin's red lacquer sole is even more valuable than you think |date=18 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519205700/http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/sell-your-sole-131602 |archive-date=2011-05-19}}{{cite web|url=http://carsandlife.net/2012/12/what-is-the-colour-code-of-christian-louboutin-red-soles.html |work=Cars & Life |first=Uygar |last=Kilic |title=What is the Colour Code of Christian Louboutin Red Soles? |date=9 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409155808/http://carsandlife.net/2012/12/what-is-the-colour-code-of-christian-louboutin-red-soles.html |archive-date=2015-04-09}}

His single biggest client is American novelist Danielle Steel, who is reputed to own over 6,000 pairs and is known to have purchased up to 80 pairs at a time when shopping at his stores.{{cite news|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2010/04/01/christian-louboutin-business-growth-and-celebrity-customers |work=British Vogue |first=Lauren |last=Milligan |title=Louboutin Lover |date=1 April 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615194100/http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2010/04/01/christian-louboutin-business-growth-and-celebrity-customers |archive-date=2012-06-15}}

The red sole is protected as a trademark in several countries, and litigation has taken place in various disputes in which Louboutin claimed infringement of its rights. Litigation generally also involved discussion of the validity or the scope of protection of the trademark.

In 2013, Louboutin filed a trademark infringement claim of the Benelux trademark against Dr. Adams. The Court of First Instance of Brussels declared the trademark however invalid.{{cite web|language=nl |url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjbGFzczQ2aXRlbXN8Z3g6MjI0MjkwODZkYTZjYjQ3Zg |title=A.R. 2013/6154 |work=Rechtbank van Koophandel te Brussel |date=20 March 2014}} That decision was overturned by the Brussels Court of Appeal, who forbade the sale of shoes with a red sole by Dr. Adams.{{cite web|language=nl |publisher=ie-forum.be |url=http://www.ie-forum.be/www.delex-backoffice.nl/uploads/file/IEFBE/IE-Forum_be%20Hof%20van%20Beroep%20Brussel%2018%20november%202014,%20IEFbe%201119%20(Louboutin%20tegen%20Dr%20Adams%20Footwear).pdf |work=Hof van Beroep Brussel |title=2014/AR/734 |date=18 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406002824/http://www.ie-forum.be/www.delex-backoffice.nl/uploads/file/IEFBE/IE-Forum_be%20Hof%20van%20Beroep%20Brussel%2018%20november%202014%2C%20IEFbe%201119%20%28Louboutin%20tegen%20Dr%20Adams%20Footwear%29.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-06}}

In France, the trademark of Louboutin was held valid, but not infringed by Zara. The Court of Appeal however considered the French trademark invalid. The latter decision was upheld by the French Supreme Court in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=8d73af86-c24c-4753-89a9-ca3eb079edc4 |title=French Supreme Court rules Louboutin's red sole trademark invalid |work=Lexology |first1=H. |last1=Lovells |first2=C. |last2=Pecnard |date=25 October 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628042723/http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=8d73af86-c24c-4753-89a9-ca3eb079edc4 |archive-date=2014-06-28}}

In 2012, in The Netherlands, Louboutin initiated litigation, based also on the Benelux trademark, against shoe retailer Van Haren, seeking to stop it from selling the red-soled shoe "5th Avenue by Halle Berry". The District Court of The Hague proposed in 2015 to ask preliminary questions to the European Court of Justice that it considered necessary in order to determine whether the trademark would be valid.{{cite web|language=nl |date=1 April 2015 |work=Rechtbank Den Haag |title=C/09/450182 / HA ZA 13-999 |publisher=ie-forum.nl |url=http://www.ie-forum.nl/backoffice/uploads/file/IE-Forum_nl%20Rechtbank%20Den%20Haag%201%20april%202015,%20IEF%2014828%20(Louboutin%20tegen%20Van%20Haren).pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406005642/http://www.ie-forum.nl/backoffice/uploads/file/IE-Forum_nl%20Rechtbank%20Den%20Haag%201%20april%202015%2C%20IEF%2014828%20%28Louboutin%20tegen%20Van%20Haren%29.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-06 |access-date=2015-04-03}} In June 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that a trademark of a colour to be placed on a sole could be valid.{{cite news|last=McDougall |first=Mary |date=12 June 2018 |title=Louboutin wins fight to prevent red sole copycats |publisher=CNN Money |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/06/12/news/christian-louboutin-ecj-red-sole-trademark/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613202958/https://money.cnn.com/2018/06/12/news/christian-louboutin-ecj-red-sole-trademark/index.html |archive-date=2018-06-13}} Based on this decision, the Court of The Hague decided the trademark was valid, and Van Haren was infringing.{{ECLI|ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2019:930}}

In 2011, Christian Louboutin company filed a US trademark infringement claim of its red-soled shoes against designer Yves Saint Laurent.{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/05/ysl_louis_xiv_wore_red_soled_s.html |work=NY Magazine |first=Amy |last=Odell |title=YSL: Louis XIV Wore Red-Soled Shoes Long Before Christian Louboutin Trademarked Them |date=24 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526000303/http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2011/05/ysl_louis_xiv_wore_red_soled_s.html |archive-date=2011-05-26}} The firm expected that the YSL shoe design would be revoked and sought US$1 million in damages.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/louboutin-sues-ysl-yves-saint-laurent-red-sole-shoe/story?id=13329514 |work=ABC News |first=Cindy |last=Rodriguez |title=Louboutin Says Yves Saint Laurent Stole Red-Sole Design |publisher=ABC News Network |date=8 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412123707/https://abcnews.go.com/US/louboutin-sues-ysl-yves-saint-laurent-red-sole-shoe/story?id=13329514 |archive-date=2011-04-12}} However, in August 2011, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero denied the firm's request to stop the sale of women's shoes with red soles by Yves Saint Laurent. The judge questioned the validity of the trademark, writing, "Louboutin's claim would cast a red cloud over the whole industry, cramping what other designers do, while allowing Louboutin to paint with a full palette."{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louboutin-fights-to-keep-red-sole-trademark/ |work=CBS News |title=Louboutin fights to keep red sole trademark |publisher=CBS |agency=Associated Press |date=12 August 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403003523/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/12/earlyshow/main20091565.shtml |archive-date=2012-04-03}} In his thirty-two-page decision, Judge Marrero compared fashion designers to painters and noted how creativity for both is dependent upon using color as "an indispensable medium" that "plays a unique role." The Court observed that: "The law should not countenance restraints that would interfere with creativity and stifle competition by one designer, while granting another a monopoly invested with the right to exclude use of an ornamental or functional medium necessary for freest and most productive artistic expression by all engaged in the same enterprise."{{cite news|url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/court-denies-louboutin-preliminary-injunction-holds-fashion-blind-to-single-color-marks |author=Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton |title=Court Denies Louboutin Preliminary Injunction: Holds Fashion Blind to Single Color Marks |publisher=The National Law Review |date=21 August 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401001311/http://www.natlawreview.com/article/court-denies-louboutin-preliminary-injunction-holds-fashion-blind-to-single-color-marks |archive-date=2012-04-01}} Jewelry company Tiffany & Co., which has its blue box trademarked, filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the right to trademark a color.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/tiffany-co-files-brief_n_1029366.html |work=HuffPost |first=Ellie |last=Krupnick |title=Tiffany & Co. Files in Support of Christian Louboutin |date=24 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026004911/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/tiffany-co-files-brief_n_1029366.html |archive-date=2011-10-26}}

In September 2012, the court finally ruled that Louboutin retains the exclusive right to use the color red on the bottom of its shoes whenever the outer portion of the shoe is any color besides red, while Yves Saint Laurent can continue to sell its shoes with red soles as long as the whole shoe is red.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2012/09/05/both-sides-claim-victory-in-ysl-v-louboutin-shoe-case/ |first=Hannah |last=Elliott |title=Both Sides Claim Victory in YSL v. Louboutin Shoe Case |work=Forbes |date=5 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907191333/http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2012/09/05/both-sides-claim-victory-in-ysl-v-louboutin-shoe-case/ |archive-date=2012-09-07}} The YSL monochromatic shoe – red upper, red outsole – over which the lawsuit originally had been brought and against which Louboutin had tried and failed to get a preliminary injunction, therefore won't infringe the trimmed-down trademark.{{cite news|url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/other-shoe-drops-appeals-court-saves-trims-louboutin-red-sole-trademark |author=Schiff Hardin LLP |title=The Other Shoe Drops: Appeals Court Saves But Trims Louboutin Red Sole Trademark |publisher=The National Law Review |date=12 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914054237/http://www.natlawreview.com/article/other-shoe-drops-appeals-court-saves-trims-louboutin-red-sole-trademark |archive-date=2012-09-14}}

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property rejected Louboutin's trademark's extension to Switzerland in 2011, considering the trademark invalid. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirmed the invalidity of the trademark in Switzerland in February 2017.Decision 4A_363/2016 of 7 February 2017. See: {{cite news|last=Fontana |first=Katharina |title=Entscheid des Bundesgerichts: Kein Schutz für rote Schuhsohlen |url=https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/entscheid-des-bundesgerichts-kein-schutz-fuer-rote-schuhsohlen-ld.147281 |date=24 February 2017 |work=Neue Zürcher Zeitung |language=de-CH |access-date=2017-02-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424072703/https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/entscheid-des-bundesgerichts-kein-schutz-fuer-rote-schuhsohlen-ld.147281?reduced=true |archive-date=2023-04-24}}

In his first year of business, Louboutin sold 200 pairs of shoes. It has since become an internationally recognized brand.{{cite news|url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/lisa-armstrong/TMG9200589/Christian-Louboutin-the-fun-and-fetishism.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |first=Lisa |last=Armstrong |title=Christian Louboutin: the fun and fetishism |date=14 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416174834/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/lisa-armstrong/TMG9200589/Christian-Louboutin-the-fun-and-fetishism.html |archive-date=2012-04-16}} The United States accounts for 52 per cent of Louboutin's sales; Europe, the Middle East and Russia, 30 per cent; and Asia 18 per cent.{{cite news|url=http://www.wwd.com/accessories-news/handbags/getting-a-handle-on-louboutin-467853 |work=Women's Wear Daily |first=Miles |last=Socha |title=Getting a Handle on Louboutin |date=4 February 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609112536/http://www.wwd.com/accessories-news/handbags/getting-a-handle-on-louboutin-467853 |archive-date=2013-06-09}} {{subscription required}} Of the firm's $300 million in annual revenue,{{cite news|url=http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/people/red-stateqa-with-christian-louboutin-6493139?full=true |work=Women's Wear Daily |first=Katie |last=Abel |title=Red State: Q&A With Christian Louboutin |date=19 November 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609135601/http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/people/red-stateqa-with-christian-louboutin-6493139?full=true |archive-date=2013-06-09}} 95% comes from shoes, with the remainder derived from purses and handbags. They expect the volume of handbags to eventually represent 20% of their annual sales.

In 2009, wholesale purchases represented 88% of the business. Overseas, the company has partnered with Pedder Group of Hong Kong, China for distribution in their Asian markets and the Chalhoub Group of the United Arab Emirates for their representation in the Middle East.{{cite news|url=http://www.ameinfo.com/221834.html |work=AMEinfo.com |first=Siba |last=Sami Ammari |title=Chalhoub Group signs regional joint venture with Christian Louboutin in Middle East |publisher=AME Info FZ LLC |date=21 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609111443/http://www.ameinfo.com/221834.html |archive-date=2013-06-09}}

As of March 2012, the firm employed 420 staff members{{cite news|url=http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/fashion/christian-louboutin-the-shoe-man-is-a-showman |work=The National |first=Laura |last=Collins |title=Christian Louboutin: The shoe-man is a showman |date=17 March 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317163719/http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/fashion/christian-louboutin-the-shoe-man-is-a-showman |archive-date=2012-03-17}} (referred to as Loubi's Angels) around the world. Most of the footwear is manufactured and produced at his factory in Milan, but he also maintains a small atelier on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for private customers and one-of-a-kind creations.

Louboutins can sell from $500 and up, with crystal-encrusted pairs costing up to $6,000. The base price for a custom-made pair of Louboutin is $4,000. If the style already exists, it is standard price plus 30%.

In 2012 Louboutin said that over the previous decade he had been offered licensing deals on everything from cars and glasses to swimwear and ready-to-wear, but turned them down as he does not want his name to be one that can be licensed. In 2003, his first extension outside of shoes was the introduction of his handbags and purses line.

In 2011, he launched a collection of men's footwear at a new exclusive store in Paris. Two explanations were given why Louboutin started a men's line. The first was a story of a French woman who asked him to make her a pair of shoes for her very large feet. He custom-created the size 13 1/2 shoes for her, but she didn't end up buying them. Instead, he passed them along to a friend who gave them to her husband.{{cite news|url=http://ny.racked.com/archives/2012/08/30/christian_louboutin_new_mens_store_does_include_a_tattoo_parlor.php |work=Racked |first=Tiffany |last=Yannetta |title=Christian Louboutin's New Men's Store Includes a Tattoo Parlor |date=30 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403065623/http://ny.racked.com/2012/8/30/7712557/christian-louboutin-new-mens-store-does-include-a-tattoo-parlor |archive-date=2015-04-03}} The second story was that the idea of starting a men's line came from musician Mika, who asked Louboutin to design all the shoes for his show for his tour.{{cite news|url=https://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2012/09/gq-christian-louboutin-gq-interview.html |work=GQ Magazine |first=Matthew |last=Sebra |title=The GQ+A: Sole Talk with Christian Louboutin |date=20 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923012454/http://www.gq.com/style/blogs/the-gq-eye/2012/09/gq-christian-louboutin-gq-interview.html |archive-date=2012-09-23}} He also noticed, "There is a group of men that is thinking a little bit more like women. They're super-excited to buy the 'new thing.' I've noticed on blogs, for example, that men are very serious about their shoes now. They treat shoes very much as objects, as collectors' items. Of course, there is still a group that is more conservative in their tastes. They like to pass their shoes down to their son or say they have had a pair for 25 years". A unique feature introduced was the Tattoo Parlor, where customers could have digital photos taken of their tattoos and embroidered onto their shoes or, embroider the signature brogues in addition to selecting designs by Christian Louboutin with prices starting at around $8,000.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/fashion/in-paris-christian-louboutin-opens-a-store-for-mens-shoes-front-row.html |work=The New York Times |first=Eric |last=Wilson |title=Guys, Skip the Break-In on These Louboutins |date=28 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929152503/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/fashion/in-paris-christian-louboutin-opens-a-store-for-mens-shoes-front-row.html |archive-date=2011-09-29}}

In 2012, Louboutin partnered with Batallure Beauty LLC to launch Christian Louboutin Beauté to enter the luxury beauty market.{{cite news|url=http://www.wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/prestige/christian-louboutin-entering-beauty-5904206 |work=Women's Wear Daily |first=Miles |last=Socha |title=Christian Louboutin Entering Beauty |date=11 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511200258/http://www.wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/prestige/christian-louboutin-entering-beauty-5904206 |archive-date=2012-05-11}} Catherine Roggero is the New York-based general manager for Christian Louboutin, a venture between Christian Louboutin SAS and Batallure Beauty.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/the-other-shoe-7595417 |title=Catherine Roggero Joins Christian Louboutin Beauté |work=Women's Wear Daily |date=17 March 2014 |first=Pete |last=Born |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322094006/http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/the-other-shoe-7595417 |archive-date=2014-03-22}} Roggero "will be responsible for developing Louboutin's beauty business."

On 23 July 2014, Christian Louboutin Beauté launched a range of nail lacquers, exclusively debuting the signature red shade, Rouge Louboutin, at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York and its 15 US boutiques. In support of this launch, the high-end department store created Loubiville, a five-window visual merchandising display. The range was more widely distributed on 6 August 2014 to Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and select Sephora boutiques. The product is a logical brand extension, as an assistant's nail polish was the impetus for the shoes' red soles. Much like the shoes, the polish is receiving attention for its provocative shape, a long spiky cap, designed to resemble a calligrapher's brush or a spire.{{cite news|url=http://www.wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/color-cosmetics/louboutin-enters-the-beauty-arena-7808363 |title=Christian Louboutin Enters the Beauty Arena With Nail Polish |work=Women's Wear Daily |date=23 July 2014 |publisher=Women's Wear Daily/Conde Nast |last=Socha |first=Miles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726053300/http://www.wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/color-cosmetics/louboutin-enters-the-beauty-arena-7808363 |archive-date=2014-07-26}}

In 2015, he expanded his foray into cosmetics with a lipstick collection. The tube was inspired by Babylonian architecture and Middle Eastern antiquities.{{cite news|url=http://www.teenvogue.com/story/christian-louboutin-lipstick-launch |title=This Is What a $90 Lipstick Looks Like |last=Gaynor |first=Emily |newspaper=Teen Vogue |date=5 August 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927054915/http://www.teenvogue.com/story/christian-louboutin-lipstick-launch |archive-date=2015-09-27}} As of 2017, the brand had 38 shades, divided into three collections.

Louboutin entered the fragrance market in 2016 with the release of three parfums: Bikini Questa Sera, with jasmine and tuberose notes; Tornade Blonde, with rose and cassis notes; and Trouble in Heaven, with patchouli and amber notes. The bottles were designed by Thomas Heatherwick's studio.{{cite web|url=http://www.allure.com/story/christian-louboutin-new-fragrances-are-here |title=Christian Louboutin's New Fragrances Are Here |work=Allure |date=7 September 2016 |last=Choi |first=Maureen |access-date=2017-04-25 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014164118/https://www.allure.com/story/christian-louboutin-new-fragrances-are-here |archive-date=2016-10-14}}

In 2007, he collaborated with the filmmaker David Lynch on Fetish, an exhibition of his shoes in Lynch's photographs as erotic sculptural objects including ballet pumps made vertical by an impossible heel, or shoes with heels projecting inches beyond the sole{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2011/sep/30/design-museum-tribute-christian-louboutin |work=The Guardian |location=London |first=Maev |last=Kennedy |title=Design Museum to pay tribute to shoe genius Christian Louboutin |date=30 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002011926/http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2011/sep/30/design-museum-tribute-christian-louboutin |archive-date=2011-10-02}} (Viennese heel). He partnered once again with Lynch and Swizz Beats to compose music when Louboutin directed a show at the Crazy Horse, called Feu, which ran from 5 March to 31 May 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.styleite.com/media/christian-louboutin-crazy-horse-show/ |work=Styleite |first=Julia |last=Rubin |title=Louboutin's Crazy Horse Strip Show Will Feature Music By David Lynch |date=17 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119215758/http://www.styleite.com/media/christian-louboutin-crazy-horse-show/ |archive-date=2012-01-19}}

In conjunction with Bergdorf Goodman, he held a competition for design students at the Parsons New School for Design who graduated in 2010 and 2011, encouraging them to create apparel inspired by Louboutin's silhouettes of the past two decades, as well as the brand's new capsule collection.{{cite news|url=http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/louboutin-bergdorf-and-project-parsons-5523220 |work=Women's Wear Daily |first=Rachel |last=Strugatz |title=Parsons Alumni to Design Looks for Christian Louboutin Anniversary Event |date=19 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609092600/http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/louboutin-bergdorf-and-project-parsons-5523220 |archive-date=2013-06-09}}

In 2012, he was commissioned by Disney to create a modern-day Cinderella-inspired pair of slippers limited to just 20 pieces, to complement release of the Cinderella: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack in the fall.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/living/fashion/article/1228391--christian-louboutin-tells-cinderella-story-to-jeanne-beker |work=The Toronto Star |first=Jeanne |last=Beker |title=Christian Louboutin tells Cinderella story to Jeanne Beker |date=19 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721000152/http://www.thestar.com/living/fashion/article/1228391--christian-louboutin-tells-cinderella-story-to-jeanne-beker |archive-date=2012-07-21}} Louboutin also appears in a Disney-produced 10-minute short called The Magic of the Glass Slipper: A Cinderella Story, a bonus feature on the Cinderella Blu-ray DVD.{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/fashion/story/2012-07-05/cinderella-shoe-christian-louboutin/56021950/1 |work=USA Today |first=Andrea |last=Mandell |title=Christian Louboutin designs a slipper for today's Cinderella |date=5 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609092623/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/fashion/story/2012-07-05/cinderella-shoe-christian-louboutin/56021950/1 |archive-date=2013-06-09}} He also partnered with Mattel that same year to create a limited edition "Louboutin Barbie". The first in the series was a cat burglar themed Barbie, which retailed for $150 and sold out the first day.{{cite news|url=http://cocoperez.com/2009-12-08-louboutin-barbie-sells-out-in-one-day |work=Coco Perez |first=Coco |last=Perez |title=Louboutin Barbie Sells Out in One Day! |date=8 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102063222/http://cocoperez.com/2009-12-08-louboutin-barbie-sells-out-in-one-day |archive-date=2010-01-02}}

Louboutin was also one of the judges at the Martini Royale Casting Party to find the new face of the drinks brand.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christian-louboutin-i-dont-think-comfort-equals-happiness-7791467.html |work=The Independent |location=London |first=Genevieve |last=Roberts |title=Christian Louboutin: 'I don't think comfort equals happiness' |date=27 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527193416/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/christian-louboutin-i-dont-think-comfort-equals-happiness-7791467.html |archive-date=2012-05-27}}

In 2013, Louboutin was celebrated at Toronto's Design Exchange{{cite web|url=http://www.dx.org/ |title=Christian Louboutin – an exhibition celebrating 20 years of design, artistry and magic – 21 June – 15 Sept 2013 |location=Toronto |publisher=Design Exchange |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726110913/http://www.dx.org/ |archive-date=2013-07-26}} with a comprehensive exhibit featuring themes of showgirls, fetish, construction and travel.{{cite web|url=http://www.msfabulous.com/2013/08/christian-louboutin-20-years-of-design.html |title=Christian Louboutin – 20 Years of Design, Artistry and Magic |first=Mariana |last=Leung |work=Ms Fabulous |date=30 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831082028/http://www.msfabulous.com/2013/08/christian-louboutin-20-years-of-design.html |archive-date=2013-08-31}}

In 2020, Louboutin created a digitalized Loubi World platform whereby guests can create an avatar with facial recognition technology and choose a variety of shoes and accessories. Louboutin designed the virtual space so that the avatars can interact with virtual locales and landmarks.{{cite web|url=https://hauteliving.com/2020/10/christian-louboutin-zepeto-loubi-world/690716/ |title=Christian Louboutin Debuts Immersive Virtual Game On Zepeto Called Loubi World To Unveil New Collections |date=2 October 2020 |work=Haute Living |first=Deyvanshi |last=Masrani |access-date=2020-12-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027151559/https://hauteliving.com/2020/10/christian-louboutin-zepeto-loubi-world/690716/ |archive-date=2020-10-27}}

In March 2021, Louboutin sold a 25% stake to Exor for $643 million.{{cite web|date=2021-03-08 |title=Shoemaker Louboutin sells 24% stake |url=https://arab.news/n85dg |website=Arab News |access-date=2021-03-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310055954/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1821961/business-economy |archive-date=2021-03-10}}

In the spring of 2012, the company opened its first men's store in New York City, with over {{convert|1000|sqft|sqm|order=flip|abbr=off}} of space and located next to its existing Horatio Street store.{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/threadny/THREAD-Christian-Louboutin-to-Open-Mens-Store-in-Meatpacking-District-136002763.html |work=NBC 4 New York |first=Pinson |last=Laurel |title=Christian Louboutin to Open Men's Store in Meatpacking District |date=21 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123152532/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/threadny/THREAD-Christian-Louboutin-to-Open-Mens-Store-in-Meatpacking-District-136002763.html |archive-date=2013-01-23}} From previous experience in his Paris store, Louboutin claimed that women feel uncomfortable when men stare at them while they try on shoes, hence the separate stores.

The first Louboutin Men's Boutique, Christian Louboutin Boutique Homme on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris, opened in the summer of 2012.

Christian Louboutin Miami is located on 40th Street in the Design District of Miami, Florida.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/magazine/2009/12/03/wall-to-wall-art-basel-miami/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |first=Alastair |last=Gordon |title=Wall to Wall: Art Basel Miami |date=3 December 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207091120/https://blogs.wsj.com/magazine/2009/12/03/wall-to-wall-art-basel-miami/ |archive-date=2009-12-07}} Louboutin chose to open a store in Miami because of the mix of businesses, the small urban scale, and his obvious following there. During Miami Basel art fair when the store opened in 2009, he said, "You don't get this with Europeans—but Americans actually come into my office in Paris to meet me, and a lot of those people are from Miami." The boutique stocks Louboutin's most colorful, strappy, precarious styles, on account of the subtropical climate and the fact that, Louboutin says, "people barely walk in the street."{{cite web|url=http://www.interiordesign.net/article/483008-Sex_on_Heels.php |work=Interior Design |first=David |last=Sokol |title=Sex on Heels |publisher=Sandow Media LLC |date=1 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607151526/http://www.interiordesign.net/article/483008-Sex_on_Heels.php |archive-date=2010-06-07}}

The 2,400-square-foot space was designed by Eric Clough and 212box. Above a steel awning shaped like a Louboutin shoe in profile, with a red underside to boot, pink orchids sprout from the coral-stone facade. Still more orchids project from a wall in the entry gallery. Dutch artist Madeleine Berkhemer recycled pantyhose into a multi-colored sculpture that stretches over the empty concrete floor with some of Louboutin's shoes dangling in the overhead tangle of nylon "like insects trapped in a psychedelic spider's web." This L-shaped space wraps two sides of a rectangular volume clad almost entirely in a one-way mirror: a box that contains the merchandise for sale while allowing people who've just come in the front door to "witness other people falling in love with the shoes," Clough says.

The inside areas in the store are defined by red carpeting. Blue, blown-glass chandeliers hang from the ceilings. Hieroglyphics, symbols and Braille are carved onto wooden Codebox Tiles that line some of the store's interior walls,{{cite journal |title=Christian Louboutin by 212box, Miami |journal=DURRAH: A Pearl of Luxury |date=Spring 2010 |volume=2 |issue=3 |page=112}} hiding the words of a poem by contemporary American poet Lyn Hejinian in plain sight, in the etched wooden tiles lining the gallery wall behind the orchids. "This is the way I / Want to go in and / Out of heaven... / Windows full at 5pm / My skull a place / Except that I think of space as the more exciting," the lines read. These coded tiles appear in many Louboutin stores designed by Clough around the world, including São Paulo, Brazil.{{cite web|url=http://cultureshoq.com/christian-louboutinsao-pauloapril-212box/ |title=Christian Louboutin Sao Paulo – 212Box |publisher=Culture Shoq |date=31 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412003822/http://cultureshoq.com/christian-louboutinsao-pauloapril-212box/ |archive-date=2009-04-12}}

Louboutin's website sells some of their products online, and contains a statement that it is the only legitimate online source with the word Louboutin in the domain name to do so.{{cite web|url=http://www.christianlouboutin.com/ |title=Louboutin's online shop |publisher=Christian Louboutin |access-date=2012-03-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511023410/http://christianlouboutin.com/ |archive-date=2014-05-11}}{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/tanyajain19788/christian-louboutin |title=Christian Louboutin and his offline and online presence! |first=Tanya |last=Jain |date=21 February 2011 |publisher=Slideshare |access-date=2013-06-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193709/http://www.slideshare.net/tanyajain19788/christian-louboutin |archive-date=2013-10-29}}{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/CourtneyChristineBallard/loubi-love-7554333 |title=Loubi Love |first1=Taylor |last1=Hinds |first2=Courtney |last2=Ballard |date=7 April 2011 |publisher=Slideshare |access-date=2013-06-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194034/http://www.slideshare.net/CourtneyChristineBallard/loubi-love-7554333 |archive-date=2013-10-29}}{{cite web|url=https://stopfake.christianlouboutin.com/en/ |title=Christian Louboutin Stop Fake Website |publisher=Christian Louboutin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204004643/https://stopfake.christianlouboutin.com/en/ |archive-date=2023-12-04}} Legitimate Louboutin shoes can also be purchased in-store and online from retailers such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Joseph, Browns, Matches, Cricket and Cruise and online through Net-a-Porter and DesignerPlug in the UK. Barneys, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nordstrom sell genuine Louboutin in the US. In Canada, Christian Louboutin shoes are available from Holt Renfrew and Davids.

Online, counterfeit Louboutin shoes are available.{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/million+fake+Louboutins/7101914/story.html |work=Vancouver Sun |title=Photos: $18 million in fake Louboutins |date=16 August 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609081159/http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/million%2Bfake%2BLouboutins/7101914/story.html |archive-date=2013-06-09}} In the last few years, the company has served hundreds of DMCA notices on Google to remove many sites selling fake goods from their search results.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=louboutin |title=louboutin – Google Search |website=www.google.com}}

The company set up a separate website focused on protecting the brand and detailing more than 3,000 websites that sell fake goods, many of which have been closed down.

• 1985: La Nuit Porte Jarretelles by Virginie Thévenet
• 1987: Jeux d'Artifices by Virginie Thévenet
• 1994: La Folie Douce by Frédéric Jardin
• 2009: La Traversée du Désir by Arielle Dombasle
• 2018: Alien Crystal Palace by Arielle Dombasle

• 2023: Drag Race France as Guest judge

• Breaking Bad antagonist Lydia Rodarte-Quayle frequently wore black Louboutin stilettos. Camera angles often focused on the shoes and trademark soles, particularly during the episode "Buried".{{cite news|first=Alan |last=Sepinwall |journal=Hitfix |date=18 August 2013 |title=Review: Breaking Bad – 'Buried': Geocaching Out |url=http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-breaking-bad-buried-geocaching-out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819022139/http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-breaking-bad-buried-geocaching-out |archive-date=2013-08-19}}{{cite news|title=Hank does not tread lightly on Breaking Bad |journal=Today |date=18 August 2013 |first=Drusilla |last=Moorhouse |publisher=MSN News |url=http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/hank-does-not-tread-lightly-on-breaking-bad |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829062817/http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/hank-does-not-tread-lightly-on-breaking-bad |archive-date=2013-08-29 |access-date=2013-09-03}}{{cite news|first=Christopher |last=Rogers |journal=Hollywood Life |title=Breaking Bad Recap: 'Buried' – Marie almost captures Skyler's Baby |date=18 August 2013 |publisher=Bonnie Fuller |url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/08/18/breaking-bad-buried-recap-marie-skyler-baby/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819031645/http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/08/18/breaking-bad-buried-recap-marie-skyler-baby/ |archive-date=2013-08-19}}
• Lucifer protagonist Lucifer Morningstar often wore red-soled Louboutin shoes.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11284748/trivia/ |title="Lucifer" A Little Harmless Stalking (TV Episode 2021) – Trivia – IMDb |website=IMDb}}
• Sex and the City protagonist Carrie Bradshaw wore many pairs of shoes designed by Louboutin.
• Jennifer Lopez's single "Louboutins" was inspired by the footwear, and the visual imagery associated with the song—such as the album art—features a woman wearing a pair of Louboutin heels with red bottoms.
• Rapper Cardi B, whose taste for Louboutin shoes is part of her image, alludes to the red-bottomed shoes in her song "Bodak Yellow".{{cite web|last=Schneier |first=Matthew |date=2 October 2017 |title=Christian Louboutin on Cardi B and His 'Red Bottoms' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/fashion/christian-louboutin-cardi-b-bodak-yellow-paris-fashion-week.html |work=The New York Times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171104164254/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/fashion/christian-louboutin-cardi-b-bodak-yellow-paris-fashion-week.html |archive-date=2017-11-04}}
• The corrupted brand name "Labuten" appears in the chorus of the song "Экспонат" ("Exhibit") by the Russian ska band Leningrad. A counterfeit pair of shoes can be seen in the music video.{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et281UHNoOU |title=Ленинград – Экспонат |language=ru |publisher=YouTube |date=3 January 2016 |agency=sosimc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209050922/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et281UHNoOU |archive-date=2016-02-09 |access-date=2016-02-09}} After numerous mentions in the media, Louboutin representatives in Russia asked them to stop making inappropriate references to the brand.{{cite news|url=https://meduza.io/news/2016/01/27/christian-louboutin-poprosil-smi-ubrat-brend-iz-novostey-pro-vystavku-van-goga |work=Meduza |title=Christian Louboutin попросил СМИ убрать бренд из новостей про выставку Ван Гога |language=ru |date=27 January 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215213636/https://meduza.io/news/2016/01/27/christian-louboutin-poprosil-smi-ubrat-brend-iz-novostey-pro-vystavku-van-goga |archive-date=2016-02-15}}
• Blake Lively often wears a Christian Louboutin shoes, highlighting her close relationship with the designer, who even named a shoe after her, the "Blake". She owns over 40 pairs of Louboutins. She has been photographed wearing Louboutins at various red carpet events, premieres and fashion galas around the world.
• Iggy Azalea prominently references Christian Louboutin shoes in opening line of her song "Work" ("Walk a mile in these Louboutins…"), highlighting their cultural significance and status as symbols of luxury and fashion.
• Taylor Swift exclusively wore custom designed Louboutin shoes during performances of her international The Eras Tour.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Footwear News, 1 June 1992, p. S8; 9 December 2002, p. 50
• Harper's Bazaar, December 1999, p. 104; April 2001, p. 226
• Newsweek International, 24 February 2003, p. 48
• People, 10 February 2003, pp. 87–88
• Vogue, June 2004, p. 206
• {{cite news|last=Denardo |first=Maria |date=18 January 2012 |title=Christian Louboutin Hires Priya Mohindra |url=http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/the-fix/article/christian-louboutin-hires-priya-mohindra |work=Daily Front Row |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122045211/http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/the-fix/article/christian-louboutin-hires-priya-mohindra |archive-date=2012-01-22}}

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• {{fashiondesigner|id=christian-louboutin}}

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