Louboutin in London

Christian Louboutin is celebrating 20 years of red-soled success with his recently launched exhibition at the Design Museum in London, on through July 9. From boots and pumps to sneakers and stilettos, the exhibition features all the highlights of Louboutin’s storied career, as well as an insight into his creative process—from his initial sketches to the final production.

Naturally, Louboutin didn’t want a traditional fashion showcase to commemorate the occasion and instead came up with a creative way to highlight his work. “When I thought about the exhibition, I realized that I didn’t want a fashion exhibition,” he said. “I thought it would be interesting to have a bit of a behind-the-scenes, in a sense, since there are a lot of things that come before the shoe is finished.” The exhibition showcases the design process of the detail-oriented designer and highlights the artistry behind each shoe.

“There is a whole part about how a show is made, the construction behind it; there is also this really technical part, which is important. And also there is a completely other side of the spectrum, which are some influences,” Louboutin explained. “The influences, coming from showgirls and from traveling and some different things which have always been with me. It is an illustration of all of that. So not only showing it through the finish product, but actually illustrating that as the real thing. So this is another part of the spectrum of the exhibition. All the different inspirations from all different territories.”

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN’S EXHIBITION IS ON AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM IN LONDON THROUGH JULY 9. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE MUSEUM’S WEBSITE.