Christian Louboutin tells the secrets of his iconic boutique
How did you find this exceptional location 30 years ago?
At the time, I had stopped designing shoes, I was doing landscaping. I absolutely wanted to buy a lamp from Eric Philippe, the antique dealer at the Galerie Véro-Dodat. I went back there every week, and every week he kept telling me that it wasn't for sale. One day to get rid of me he asked me how my shoes were. It was he then who suggested that I open my own shop, at the end of the Passage Véro-Dodat, in a gallery that was free. I have always adored this passage, where my walks already took me when I was fourteen. I discovered the artists Giger, James Mount, Royère, … I would never have created shoes without having a showcase in which to show them. When I discovered this space, I said to myself that I couldn't not take it (it was irresistible!) and that if I took it, I would have to put something inside. That's how I got back into drawing and designed my first collection: by chance, because I had rented a place that I liked.
Wasn't it risky to settle in a neighborhood on the edge of luxury boutiques?
I like the idea that my stores become a destination in themselves rather than being just one store among many others in the luxury shopping circuit. More than a location, I choose to open my shops according to my walks in a city, a street that I like, an architecture, an atmosphere.
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