When I heard Louboutin was expanding into men's footwear, I half-expected well cobbled shoes with red soles. High-end brands like Lanvin and Margiela, while fashion focused, have consistently crafted exceptional and tasteful footwear (to go along with margin-making sneakers). I was also curious how Louboutin would position vis-a-vis Jean-Michel Cazabat, a less-recognized but equally prestige shoemaker who has been putting red soles on men's shoes for years.
Behold, fashion footwear fail:
Jean-Michel Cazabat shoes currently @ Barney's, $550.
Louboutin's 2010 shoes, in the $1200 range:
photos via upscalehype.com
Some designers really go for the craftsmanship in their footwear. Some go for the fashion. One dominant trend in the latter for the last decade has been instantly recognizable branding elements to signal the brand and therefore the price of fashionable luxury items to other consumers. Maybe this started with the Gucci horsebit loafer but it has exploded into some truly gauche territory, as you can see above. I get that you want people to see your shoes and realize you designed them, but good luck copyrighting studs as a design element.
I'll reserve total jugement until I see them in stores, but I anticipate seeing these both in Kanye's next video and at the Barney's Warehouse Sale come next August for 60% off.
And I will just add: when Jennifer Lopez is singing a song about your brand - and falls on her ass while doing it - it might be a good time to rethink.
Those are the fugliest shoes I have ever seen? So where do I buy them again?
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