Christian Louboutin Taps First Creative Director for Men’s Collection

Louboutin joins the wave of creative reorganizations in the industry. French luxury footwear and accessories brand Christian Louboutin will relaunch its men’s line with designer Jaden Smith as creative director, the first from outside the founding family to ascend to the position and taking over from the founder himself. Smith will debut with a capsule collection at Paris Fashion Week in January.

Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinket Smith, took his first steps in the fashion industry after rising to fame as an actor and musician. Known for his style and his activism in environmental and social issues related to fashion, he will lead Louboutin’s men’s section from a first capsule collection, which will see the light next January in Paris.

The French company launched its men’s line in 2010, in the face of growing demand for the studded shoes it had originally created as a custom design for pop singer Mika. The brand opened its first men’s-only boutique in 2011, on rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris.

Louboutin leaves the men’s line, which accounts for 24% of the group’s sales, in Smith’s hands

Louboutin marks a new stage in the maison’s evolution with this appointment, allowing the company to focus on its women’s line while Jaden Smith brings other perspectives to the men’s section, which accounts for 24% of the group’s sales.

The company took its first steps in the real estate business last August, when it acquired two private villas for rent in Melides, on the Portuguese coast, two years after the opening of its boutique-hotel Vermelho, also located in the coastal town and a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux network.

The French luxury company is one of the world’s leading luxury footwear operators and is present in 30 countries. The brand’s iconic image is its red-soled high heels.