The Parisian shoemaker who turned the bottom of a shoe into a logo.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Who is Christian Louboutin?
A Paris-born designer who, as a teenager, was fascinated by showgirls and the dancers of the Folies Bergère. He trained under the shoemaker Charles Jourdan and worked with Roger Vivier before opening his first boutique in 1991, in the Galerie Véro-Dodat arcade in Paris.
How was the red sole born?
In 1993, according to the house’s own story, he felt a prototype looked too plain, grabbed an assistant’s red nail polish and painted the sole. It became his signature: a flash of red with every step that tells everyone what you are wearing. It also connects, knowingly or not, to the red heels of Louis XIV’s court.
Can you trademark a colour?
Louboutin spent years in court finding out. In 2012 a US appeals court, in a case against Yves Saint Laurent, ruled that his red sole is protected when it contrasts with the rest of the shoe, so an all-red shoe could still be made by others. In 2018 the EU’s top court ruled in his favour that the mark, a colour in a specific position, was not just a shape. See fashion law.
What are his classic shoes, and who owns the brand?
The Pigalle and the So Kate, both very high, pointed pumps, are the bestsellers, along with spiked men’s sneakers and the Louboutin beauty line of lipsticks and nail colours. The company is still run by its founder; in 2021 Exor, the Agnelli family’s investment company, bought a minority stake of about a quarter.
Read on Ayerhs: Why People Pay More for Designer Logos · Is the Logo Still Fashion’s Biggest Status Symbol?