La Maison Homme
— Know how —
Manufacturing
From shaping the last to polishing the shoe and each step in between, the journey of a Christian Louboutin shoe is a tale of craftsmanship worth telling again and again.
Family-owned and operated for generations, our factory in Naples, Italy is one of the most unique, with Homme styles benchmade by master craftsmen using the finest materials in the world.
— Step 1 —
The Last
Above, a worker takes one of Christian’s sketches and creates a pattern that will become the final product.
When making a shoe, first is last! The last determines the shape of the shoe; once the wooden prototype last is shaped and approved, it is then replicated in technical materials for production.
Types of shoes
Derby
A shoe with open lacing that offers pure comfort. The distance between the two quarters is adjustable and makes it easy to slip into this shoe.
— Step 2 —
The Upper
Once the pattern is finalised , it’s time to dress the shoe. Tagliere a mano is the process of hand cutting each shoe’s pattern from the leather. Artisans are trained for years in order to detect any flaws in the skin and cut around them; this ensures that our shoes are made from only the most perfect leathers.
Materials
The materials found in every Christian Louboutin collection reflect the brand’s playful discourse as well as a commitment to quality craftsmanship and innovative design.
Calf Leather
Printed Patent Leather
Patent Leather
Laser Cut
Denim
Patent Dégradé
Moiré
Tressé
Veau Velours
— Step 3 —
The Sole
Cue the infamous red sole! Many of our iconic soles are constructed using Blake Stitching, an artisan technique using the utmost of luxury craftsmanship. The technique properly adheres the sole to the upper, which allows the shoe to move naturally with your foot, providing more comfort and durability with wear.
Types of Shoe:
The Red sole
To finish the sole, nails are used to protect the tip and back of heel from excess wear and tear. Nails also create a clean, beautiful sole (because style matters just as much as substance!)
The Lug sole
Created from a TPU rubber injection mold, Christian Louboutin lug soles are comprised of multiple layers of rubber components, finished with a flash of the brand’s signature red.
— Step 4 —
The Finishing
Patine is hand applied on various shoes to add shine and rich, dimensional colour that cannot be found in classic leathers. Each batch is mixed from scratch without a recipe, just the expert eyes and best judgement of the shoe maker. The patine process is repeated several times until the desired colour is reached. The application must be done in several turns; master dyers in the factory decide the number of times each shoe needs to be coated through their acute intuition for the process.
In the hands of the finisher, the upper reveals itself as a work of art. Attention is paid to the smallest details in the operations of brushing, applying shoe cream, and polishing the leather.
Embellishment
From strass to pyramid studs and mixed spikes, Christian Louboutin’s stunning embellishments are hand placed for a truly bespoke feel.
Embroideries
Chains
Spikes Dégradé
Embellished Patch
Pik Pik
Embroideries
Strass
Spikes
Perforated Cap Toe