Christian Louboutin: Young people don't want to be like their parents. And if their parents wear sneakers, they're going to look for something else'

"French chic permeates the office of Christian Louboutin in the French capital. From its location next to the Louvre to the seemingly casual way the shoe designer has mixed new and vintage pieces. Sculptures, film posters, shoes, art books, fashion, gardening... He greets us with a warm smile the morning after celebrating his Loubi Show, a cabaret-style fantasy in a stadium on the outskirts of the city. It was a collaboration, like last year, with David LaChapelle and Blanca Li."

"We envisioned a show that would place the shoes in an unexpected setting, so we came up with the idea of a small-town American football game. The result was an event as unexpected as it was electrifying. As was his conversation. Although he announced in September that Jaden Smith would be the creative director of his menswear line, the move doesn't foreshadow any retirement by the 62-year-old Parisian."

Christian Louboutin's Paris office combines French chic with new and vintage pieces, surrounded by sculptures, film posters, shoes, art books, fashion and gardening. The Loubi Show staged a cabaret-style fantasy in a stadium, conceived with David LaChapelle and Blanca Li, imagining a small-town American football game to place shoes in an unexpected setting. The event felt unexpected and electrifying. Jaden Smith was named creative director of the menswear line, while Louboutin, at 62, remains active and prefers to concentrate on women's footwear. Louboutin's early career began at the Folies Bergere, where sneaking into shows led to an internship and learning the structure of performance.

Read at english.elpais.com