More than 30 years later, Christian Louboutin’s lacquered legacy remains as vibrant as ever.
Since its launch, Christian Louboutin has epitomized luxury, with designs that feel both timeless and of-the-moment. In the ’90s, razor-sharp stilettos stood in stark opposition to the prevailing minimalism of the decade. In the 2000s, the red sole became a symbol of status and glamour. Today, in the age of scroll-stopping style, Louboutins capture attention from our phone screens, no logo required.
At this point, the story of how it began has become fashion folklore. French designer Christian Louboutin founded his footwear label in 1991. Two years later, in a moment of inspiration, he swiped an assistant’s red nail polish across the sole of a prototype shoe, turning an impulse decision into a defining part of fashion history. By the 2000s, the glossy red bottoms were everywhere: Jennifer Lopez sang about them in “Louboutins,” Blake Lively curated a museum-worthy collection of styles on the red carpet and Sex and the City turned every cameo into a cultural moment.
Today, the luxury footwear brand continues to be front and center and just as impossible to miss. Christian Louboutin is ubiquitous at Paris Fashion Week (where, most recently, the brand threw an American homecoming-inspired fashion show featuring cheerleaders and a marching band), on the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy and Jenna Ortega, and across social media feeds, where hashtags like #RedBottoms and #Louboutin continue to rack up millions of views. In part, this is thanks to a new wave of adopters, the next generation, who is just as fluent in culture as couture, and not only see Christian Louboutin shoes as a red carpet staple but as a fashion currency.
Since the 2010s, Emmy-winning actor and fashion favorite Zendaya has made the brand’s So Kate stiletto (named after Kate Moss) her unofficial uniform, working with longtime stylist Law Roach to cement the shoe as her red-carpet signature. Cardi B carried the torch for music’s obsession with the brand by canonizing “bloody shoes” in her breakout hit “Bodak Yellow.” Meanwhile, two of today’s biggest pop stars, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa, wore a myriad of custom Christian Louboutin styles during their filled-to-the-brim Eras and Radical Optimism tours.
Christian Louboutin painting the first red sole. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
But celebrity co-signs are only part of Louboutin’s place in the zeitgeist. The power of Louboutin goes back to craftsmanship and innovation. The house continues to honor artisan shoemaking methods, from cutting the finest leathers to hand-sewing intricate embellishments, while constantly experimenting with materials and silhouettes. With each launch, Christian Louboutin continues to stay keyed into culture with new designs and categories that aren’t afraid to go against the prototype.
Earlier this year, Cassia Lace-Up, a ballet-inspired heel with lace-up ribbons, went viral on the toes of the balletcore trend. Olivia Rodrigo was among the first to wear the pointe-like stiletto, pairing it with a puff-sleeve, ruffle-hem mini dress; social media followed, with feeds full of videos dedicated to unboxing and styling the square-toe pumps (which later launched in additional colorways as part of the Nudes capsule collection). With Cassia, the brand proved it isn’t complacent with its red carpet supremacy — though Lisa notably wore a pair to the 2025 Emmys after-party — but remixing heritage codes for the digital-first era.
The brand showed a very different kind of ingenuity with its Maison Margiela collaboration, one of the industry’s buzziest partnerships of the year. The collaboration between the cult-beloved labels fused Margiela’s avant-garde deconstruction with Louboutin’s lacquered crimson sole, reimagining Tabi flats with red undersides and giving Louboutin stilettos a surrealist, split-toe twist.
Christian Louboutin Men’s Creative Director Jaden Smith. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
Over the years, the maison’s commitment to cultural resonance has also spanned the gender spectrum. Even before Jaden Smith was appointed Christian Louboutin’s Men’s Creative Director in September — an exciting first and a position that involves the multihyphenate overseeing the creation of four collections across men’s shoes, leather goods, and accessories annually — style setters like Timothée Chalamet embraced the label’s menswear selection.
In an industry obsessed with what’s new and next, the brand’s longevity proves that timeless style endures by itself. More than 30 years later, Christian Louboutin’s lacquered legacy remains as vibrant as ever.
This article is a collaboration between EE72 and Christian Louboutin. To learn more about our collaborations and partnerships, click here.
Presented by Christian Louboutin.
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