December 8, 2017
Christian Louboutin commemorative shoes celebrating Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Image credit: The Walt Disney Studios
Footwear designer Christian Louboutin is translating its savoir-faire in designs intended for a galaxy far, far away.
Christian Louboutin has partnered with The Walt Disney Studios to design four for-charity footwear designs inspired by the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Christian Louboutin’s Star Wars commemorative designs will be auctioned on Charitybuzz to benefit the Starlight Children's Foundation on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change.
"Disney's call regarding Star Wars was completely unexpected and surprised me," Mr. Louboutin said in a statement. "But I like surprises and this one particularly intrigued me.
"At first sight, the Star Wars universe and mine seemed far away from one another but when I saw the pictures of the red planet Crait, I instantly understood where it connected and why they had thought of me," he said.
"Strong ideas and images spontaneously came to my mind."
The force is strong with this one
The designs created by Christian Louboutin were inspired by a visit to the Industrial light & Magic (ILM) studio where Lucasfilm adds visual effects and animation to installments in the Star Wars franchise.
While there Mr. Louboutin met with vice president and executive creative director for the Star Wars franchise, Doug Chiang. During these meetings, the “Nomad Shoemaker’s masterpiece” was born.
The footwear designs in the commemorative collection are an imaginative and innovative mix of Christian Louboutin and Star Wars’ creativity and savoir-faire.
During the Los Angeles world premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi Dec. 9, the four Christian Louboutin designs will be on view on the red carpet, guarded by two glossy red members of the Praetorian Guard.
The custom display will feature a hyper-realistic holographic installation to express Mr. Louboutin’s vision which combines creativity, magic and technology. The hologram is also a nod to the most-iconic visual in the Star Wars franchise.
Christian Louboutin’s four styles were designed to capture the spirit of Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s heroines: Rey, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Captain Phasma and Rose Tico. The characters are played by actress Daisy Ridley, Laura Dern, Gwendoline Christie and Kelly Marie Tran, respectively.
Each shoe takes inspiration from the Star Wars characters. The Rey shoe, for example, includes leather ankle strap similar to the harness worn by the character. The heel is finished in blue, evoking the color of Rey’s lightsaber.
The draped burgundy cape of Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo has been transformed into a pump while the curves of Captain Phasma’s armor inspired a metallic silver shoe. The Rose Tico shoe represents a “technical, engineering-driven individual” with a block heel protecting an inner stiletto.
Each style includes a bespoke glimmering jewel inspired by the Tie Fighter.
The shoes have also been signed by Mr. Louboutin and the actress of the character who inspired the design.
Charitybuzz will auction the footwear from Dec. 7-20. As of press time, current bids range from $2,500 to $3,750, and will likely increase due to the fanaticism surrounding the Star Wars films.
Mr Louboutin has worked with The Walt Disney Studios prior through footwear collaborations for the release of the live-action adaptations of Cinderella and Maleficent.
Similarly, Disney Consumer Products let consumers have their own Cinderella moment with a line of glass slippers from nine shoe designers.
The shoes, from the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo and Stuart Weitzman, celebrated the live-action film version of the classic fairy tale. Participating in this global event will help these shoe designers gain more recognition from consumers who may have been unfamiliar before (see story).
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