#CosmoExclusive: 5 Minutes With Christian Louboutin

Cosmo: Tell us about some of the things that inspire you when you are working on a collection. 

Christian Louboutin: “I always draw. One part of the inspiration obviously comes from different things that I have been living through, or it could be an intuition, a conversation, an object maybe... But it’s also the power of drawing. Sometimes, a simple drawing can lead to the making of an iconic shoe.” 

C: Tell us about your SS20 collection... 

CL: “It’s inspired by Egypt. I wanted to tap into the spiritual power of that magnificent country. The one thing that’s quite Egyptian in this collection is a bag called ‘Elisa’. Elisa (Sednaoui) is the name of one of my Goddaughters. She’s half-Egyptian and half-Italian. So when I thought of that bag and thought of naming it, she came to mind. If you notice the bag closely, you’ll see the clasp is different. It’s inspired by an Egyptian cartouche. It’s a seal that has the name of the king and the queen. So that bag has been designed around that cartouche. This bag really embodies Elisa, she’s a mother, model, actress, social entrepreneur and film director. Elisa is many woman, and every woman can relate to her.”

C: You’ve designed shoes and bags and you have also forayed into beauty. Will we ever see you designing clothes as well? 

CL: “No. That’s a sure thing! I’ll give you the reason: I’m doing small but impactful work. Shoes and bags add to one’s personal style. That, for me, is very important. When people ask me: ‘What should I wear with that?’, I always say, whatever you want. It’s not for me to tell you how you should dress. I like it when people incorporate my shoes or bags in their look, and it becomes a part of their personality. I may like it, I may not like it, it really doesn’t make a difference. I like to be surprised. I wouldn’t like to design clothes because I’ll have to showcase how to style them head-to-toe...like a uniform. And every woman should be able to have key pieces that she likes, not because I think it should be worn in a certain way.”

C: What are some of the iconic pieces at Christian Louboutin that one must absolutely have? 

CL: “Series of pumps, in different shapes and height. A shoe with low cleavage is an absolute must. High cleavage can be very beautiful, but a low one gives a really nice line to the leg. It also elongates the feet and makes it look slender.”

C: Who do you think is the perfect Christian Louboutin woman? 

CL: “She would be a very unfaithful woman. [Laughs] What I’m trying to say is that she’d be faithful to herself, but unfaithful to the brands she wears. She wouldn’t be someone who wears a uniform—the same brand head-to-toe. She’d mix and match key pieces to create a look that brings out her own personality.”