Red bottoms up: Christian Louboutin celebrates 20 years of fashion

When you see a woman on the street and a flash of scarlet underneath her heels as she passes by, you know her taste in shoes is excellent and expensive. No doubt about it: she’s wearing Louboutins.

The French designer’s beautifully crafted designs are coveted by women everywhere and the brand is globally recognised, thanks in part to an avid following of celebrity fans, including Diane von Furstenberg, Dita von Teese and Lady Gaga, to name but a few.

On 21 November 1991, Louboutin opened his first boutique in Paris, where Princess Caroline of Monaco was his very first customer. Louboutin is most renowned for his extremely high-heeled designs and is credited with bringing stilettos back in vogue in the 1990s.

This year, despite a raging battle against YSL to protect his iconic red sole trademark, Christian Louboutin is going all out to celebrate twenty years of his eponymous label. So what’s in store for fans of Louboutin?

Well, the famed shoemaker has just unveiled his 20th Anniversary Capsule Collection, consisting of 20 iconic designs that reflect the history of Louboutins. Kicking off the celebrations by collaborating with cabaret club Le Crazy Horse as the very first guest creator, Louboutin has envisioned four tableaux, collectively entitled Feu, which focus on his areas of expertise – the legs and feet. “I am interested in all things that celebrate and enhance the female form,’ he told vogue.co.uk. ‘Because of what I do, for these numbers I have focused on the lower half of the body, rather than the top. The language of the legs can express any and every feeling, and without giving too much away, the body become the Flame.”

The show previews on 4 March, and to mark his directorial debut, Louboutin has posed for a dynamic picture, where he raises a top hat and either side of him is a naked lady kicking her Louboutins in the air.

Also in honour of the anniversary, Bergdorf Goodman and Parsons School for Design collaborated to launch a competition to pay homage to the designer. Participants were required to create an item of apparel inspired by a shoe from the capsule collection. The winners will be unveiled at the 20th Anniversary event at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York on 31 January, which will feature an appearance from the man himself. For UK fans, a retrospective of the designer’s work will open at the Design Museum in London, celebrating the shoemaker’s high fashion career to date. The exhibition will open on 28 March and run until 1 July.

Louboutin has also released a book, Christian Louboutin: a comprehensive guide into the world of Louboutin and his shoes. The book documents his inspirations and most fantastic designs of the past two decades and features a forward by actor John Malkovich, a personal friend of Louboutin’s. With a hefty £85 price tag, perhaps only the most enthusiastic of Louboutin’s admirers will adorn their coffee table with this monograph.

If you can’t afford a pair of Louboutin pumps to celebrate with, not to worry – rock the manicure instead to show your love of all things Louboutin!

Khaleda Rahman