Style Check | Christian Louboutin says designing for Cuban Olympic team ‘like dressing superheroes’
Shoemaker joins other big names designing for the Games by collaborating on ceremonial outfits for Havana’s team in Rio – and in the process produces his biggest ever shoe, a 51.5 for a wrestler
The master of the alluring red sole, Christian Louboutin has partnered with e-tailer SportyHenri.com (founded by French ex-professional athlete Henri Tai) to design ceremonial outfits and shoes for the Cuban team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
“Professional athletes are in a way like modern superheroes,” Louboutin tells me. “It was so interesting to work with people who are such great technicians as well ... there’s an incredible elegance and fluidity about these people who have incredible control of their bodies.”
“The process has actually been quite simple. It started with me helping Henri, who is a friend, with a shoot in Cuba for this company and we were discussing how naturally elegant Cuban athletes and Cubans in general are.”
With the support of Cubans, as well as the French ambassador to Cuba, the pair started working with the Olympic team and the athletes themselves to create outfits that tap into Cuba’s rich heritage.
The outfits will be some of the most stylish in the Olympic arena. The influence of the country’s flag (blue and white stripes with a red triangle and white star) is clear on the tailored jackets, cropped trousers and skirts, designed to show off the athletes’ physiques.
Louboutin’s shoes are distinctive and as colourful as you’d expect, with a short, kitten-heeled sandal for women and either high-top trainers or sporty, leather loafer styles for the men. “And also, I’ve never done such big shoes,” he laughs. “With these athletes, we went all the way to a 51.5 - for wrestler Mijan Lopez Nunez.”
