Fashion Icons Encyclopedia. Christian Louboutin.

Christian Louboutin, the designer of the world's sexiest and most sought stilettos. This international aristocrat was born in Paris in 1964, the fourth of three sisters to Roger and Irene Louboutin. He began painting as a child, and his passion for drawing, combined with his interest in footwear and nightlife, led him to create shoes for the Parisian music hall. After proving the success of his designs, which were subjected to frequent racing and the hard choreography of the dancers, he began working as a freelancer until, in the early 1990s, he started his own business in his hometown's Passage Véro-Dodat.

Success came quickly, and he was soon commissioned to make shoes for fashion houses including Chloé (with Stella McCartney as designer), Diane Von Furstenberg, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Givenchy.

Louboutin's masterpieces have been synonymous with luxury and elegance thanks to its characteristic red soles, whose exclusivity has resulted in numerous lawsuits.