We all know and love the famous Red Bottoms Louboutin heels. They are iconic and perfect for any and all occasions (unless its sports related). How did these legendary shoes come to be? Who is the mind behind the design?

Louboutin’s were created and founded by Christian Louboutin himself. He was born in Paris, France in 1963. He was the youngest child of 4 (and the only son) born to a cabinet maker and a stay-at-home mother. He had little interest in school, and often found himself expelled or in some kind of trouble. Therefore he spent a lot of time with his mother and three sisters.

Christian Louboutin was not originally planning on being a shoe designer, but inspiration truck one day while on a school field trip to a museum. There he recognized a sign that forbade African Women from wearing high heels. When asked about this original inspiration, he said the following:

“I wanted to defy that. I wanted to create something that broke rules and made women feel confident and empowered.” – Christian Louboutin

This was the beginning of his legacy.

Not long after this, he was expelled from school for the last time at the age of 16. With nothing left but inspiration and designs for women’s high heels, he landed a job working for a Parisian Cabaret called Folies Bergere. Here he had many jobs, one which included making shoes specifically for the dancers. This job helped Christian Louboutin land a job with Charles Jourdan in the early 1980’s, where he began to learn the in’s and out’s of the shoe industry.

In the early 1990’s, Christian Louboutin was able to set up his own shop in Paris. The first shoes that he designed were inspired by the famous image of Princess Diana in 1992, the one in which she is in India in front of the Taj Mahal. He created a pair of suede pumps with the word “LOVE” written in his signature. The “LO” was on the left foot, and the “VE” was on the right foot.

When asked about why he created these shoes and how he was inspires he said the following:

“I remember the picture at the time of Princess Diana, and she was looking at her feet and I thought she looked so sad….It would be nice to have something to make her smile, when she looked at her feet.” – Christian Louboutin

Not long after this, in 1993 the infamous red soles of Louboutin heels was created and introduced to the world. He was inspired by his assistant who was painting her nails red. These famed red bottom heels were only supposed to last for one season. But they were a huge success with customers, and they pleaded to keep the red soles, and so he made them his trademark.

These shoes attracted Princess Caroline of Monaco, and even Madonna wore some of his more dangerous heels in her music videos. Thus helping introduce the world to the fabulous heels of Christian Louboutin. When asked about where his inspiration for all his magnificent designs come from, this is what he had to say:

“For inspiration, I often imagine a courtesan living out her life in a circus.” -Christian Louboutin

Women’s footwear is not the only thing the Christian Louboutin and his company has created. In 2003, he created a line of handbags; in 2011, a men’s shoe line appeared; and after 2011 he created  a nail polish, fragrance, and lipstick line.

After Christian Louboutin’s first year of business, he sold over 200 pairs of shoes. Now a pair of his heels ranges between $400 to $6,000 dollars, ad sells more than 500,000 pairs of shoes each year. He is one of the most successful shoe designers in the world, and has shops all over with interior that he himself designed.

No wonder Red Bottom Louboutin’s are so fashion forward and a must have for all fashion A-listers!