Daily Front Row

2012 January 31

A Moment With...Christian Louboutin

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Christian Louboutin
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(NEW YORK) The Loub lust is in full swing as the grand maestro of teetering toe-steppers, Christian Louboutin, fetes the big 2-0 with a 20-piece capsule collection, unveiled at Bergdorf Goodman this afternoon. Naturally, we nabbed the King of Sole for a one-on-one. BY MARIA DENARDO 

How would you describe yourself?
I'm a cross between MIKA and the Spanish director, Pedro Almodóvar.

Do you ever get recognized on the street?
Let's just say I have a big following in Kuwait.

How did you only pick 20 designs for your capsule collection?
I tried to pick shoes that have always been recurrent in every collection in some way, like my love of showgirls, jewelry, embellishment, exoticism, transparency, and fur. I also included the 'Love' shoe since it's been very important for my business. It was the only shoe that I sold for six months the first season. I stayed in business because of that shoe!

How many shoes did you sell worldwide last year?
Around 700,000. I'm sad! I wanted to do 800,000. 

What piece of advice were you glad you didn't follow?
A lot of people have told me not to work with friends, but I started this company with my friends and we're still on good terms, working together for over 20 years without one fight. 

What's your biggest footwear fiasco?
Around '94, I created a transparent platform with objects like petals and animals inside the heels. It was beautiful, but it kept breaking. I produced 80 pairs, and 75 came back broken in the first two weeks.

Switching gears! What was it like to grow up in a house full of women?
It was like growing up in a play. The boyfriends, the periods, the cellulite, and the diets! It made me understand tolerance and how your behavior shifts depending on who you're around.

How are you different in your personal and public lives?
I don't pick my nose on the job, but I do around my friends. They don't mind because they also pick their noses.

Did your sisters tease you?
Yes! I'm allergic to fish. Once we were all eating dinner when I was younger, and my sisters were very quiet. Suddenly, I was throwing up, and they were jumping up and down cheering.

Have you seen Jennifer Lopez since she wrote that "Louboutin" song about you?
Of course! I love the song for the simple reason that it speaks of freedom after a breakup. 

What's your favorite lyric?
"Watch these red soles, baby, on the back of these heels!" Again, it proves that red soles are attached to my name.

Do you have your signature red lacquer decorating your home?
My apartment is a place where I like to be quiet, so there's not much red. 

Showgirls are a constant inspiration. What's your favorite show tune?
"We Should Kiss" by Joe Stilgoe.

If you had a stage name, what would it be?
"Loubey." Or "Loubey's Dad." No, that's a bit tough. How about "The Grand Loubey"?