Do people feel nervous before they tackle an iconic design from a brand that is not their own? Apparently not at the shoemaker Christian Louboutin, who, this season, has collaborated with John Galliano and Maison Margiela on cult patterns, including Margiela's Tabi ballerina flats and his own house's Kate pumps. Revealed at the now-famous Maison Margiela Artisanal Spring/Summer 2024 show – Galliano's last as the house's artistic director – the partnership came about naturally, over lunch: "John and I have been friends for a long time, and one day, while we were having lunch, he suggested we do something together. I said yes immediately, without knowing what it was, but it didn't matter to me," said Louboutin.
While Galliano took on Louboutin's iconic red soles, the shoemaker revisited the famous "Tabi" shape, inspired by Japanese slippers, with their split between the toes, which has been present in Martin Margiela's collections ever since the Belgian designer's first catwalk appearances, in 1988. "For me, the Tabi had to be seen not as a slit between the feet, a bit like a mitten for the hands, but rather as the emergence of a décolleté, like a bird's-eye view of a female bust. Technically, it had to not cut into the skin between the toes and to be soft to wear, as well as to the eye. There are a lot of inverted seams," said Louboutin.
In concrete terms, and contrary to the tradition of cutting the toe split into the vamp – the part of the shoe that covers the top of the foot – this version is constructed from two separate pieces, which are then assembled to form the separation. This technique has been applied to patent leather and rhinestone ballerina flats, dubbed "Marlougiela," as well as to strappy high-heeled sandals called "Loubiella." For his part, Galliano applied Maison Margiela's raw, deconstructed look to Louboutin creations.
These include the "Martinloula" pattern, a pointed pump with a rounded back reminiscent of the padded bustles worn by the models in the Artisanal collection, and the distinctive shape of the Kate pump, renamed "Martoubi 25" for the occasion. "John put the Margiela essence on the Kate, elongated it, destructured it and set, in the manner of a great brushstroke, a touch of red on the back, symbolizing the marriage of the pure white associated with Maison Margiela with Christian Louboutin's signature red. He made a skillful mess of this pump, much to my delight!" said Louboutin.
Christian Louboutin × Maison Margiela collection, available March 12, from €945 to €1,995.
christianlouboutin.com and maisonmargiela.com
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.