In celebration of his achievements, New York’s The Museum at FIT is currently holding an exhibition of Christian Louboutin shoes entitled "Sole Desire - the Shoes of Christian Louboutin." With boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, London, Paris and Hong Kong, women the world over crave the status that owning a pair of red-soled Louboutins bring. No longer just the footwear of fashion-conscious celebrities, since the late 1990s Louboutin has enjoyed unprecedented levels of popularity and today’s copycat celebrity culture has meant a great deal of media attention has been given to this much sought-after shoe. With his instantly recognizable trademark red soles (no matter what color the shoe), an increasing number of A-list celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Gwen Stefanie, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez are choosing a pair of Louboutin's as their favorite red carpet accessory.
Louboutin draws the inspiration for his collections from art, history and the world around him, including his own garden. Since a brief foray into landscape gardening in the '80s many of Louboutin's creations are influenced by his passion for nature, flowers and trees. He admits needing to control his passion for flora and fauna, and concentrate on designing shoes. "Few designers have soared as quickly – and to such heights," says Christianlouboutinwell.com. Known just as much for his sexy fetish designs as his creations inspired by exotic destinations, Louboutin's famous red soles were officially trademarked in January 2008 to discourage imitations.
Inspiration for Footwear: The Lure of the Louboutin Red-Soled Status Shoe