When I think of Louboutin shoes, images of red-soled heels in shades of patent black and glossy nude come to mind. The kind of classic, timeless pair that can take you from the boardroom to a big night out.
I have to admit I don’t own any myself, unable to subject my feet to torturous high heels. Christian Louboutin himself has stated that “it is not my job to create something comfortable”. Rather, he names beauty, sensuality and design prowess as his key criteria.
Unfortunately, I don’t think any of these elements are successfully presented in the brand’s latest Diwali collection, which launched this month in India, and is expected to land in Middle East boutiques any day now. The pointed heels, flats, wedges and more are decorated with a variety of colourful strips of silks and brocade.
These fabrics certainly look exquisite when affixed to the hem of a lehenga, the pallu of a sari or on a patchworked choli blouse, but fail to deliver when criss-crossed on the side of a wedge heel with gaudy gold straps. The same goes for the scattering of crystals. While these can make an ethnic outfit shine when handsewn on raw silks and chiffons, the effect on pointy heels is rather garish especially when also cobbled together with silk trims, mesh and swirly gold lines.
A poll of 85 South Asians on my own Instagram revealed that, like me, 85 per cent of them prefer traditional and authentic jutti styles over the French-made, Indian-inspired flats. Indian juttis are imbued with a wealth of culture and history. Rooted in the Mughal era, this style of shoe is crafted from leather and embellished with decadent embroidery, shells, mirrors, bells, beads and sequins.
While they typically share the characteristic curved-toe silhouette, there are plenty of different types, from the khussa and khasoori to the Saleem shahi.
I think Louboutin’s Diwali edit was an attempt to take the beauty of traditional Indian textiles and concept of the classic jutti style and merge it with contemporary western shoe silhouettes – but it results in hybrid East-meets-West shoes that simply don't work (as evident by the internet’s reaction at large to the “super-tacky” edit).
The saving grace, for me anyway, is the men’s shoe in the collection – a comparatively tasteful black loafer adorned with gold square embellishments, far preferable to the hodgepodge of citrus-coloured satin strips paired with hemp-lined wedges.
South Asian fashion is a flourishing industry, with a long history of craftsmanship and current-day collections full of patterns, textures and embellished textiles by the metres. It has long provided inspiration for luxury labels – Alexander McQueen, Elie Saab and Jean Paul Gaultier have all sent sari-inspired designs down their runways. My personal favourite is Karl Lagerfeld’s pre-fall 2012 Metiers d’Art show for Chanel in Paris, which featured models in stunning silver and pearl-studded maang tikka headpieces.
Accessories from the subcontinent remain consistent sources of inspiration for designers from the West. Who can forget Kim Kardashian’s elaborate outfit for the Ambani wedding earlier this year, which she completed with a Lorraine Schwartz nath-inspired nose ring (a style piece she has worn before) that attached to an earring, all dripping in diamonds?
I simply prefer to support South Asian brands over international ones that mimic cultural aesthetics. No culture is completely off-bounds for design inspiration but I do think this merging of styles is done best when created in close collaboration with creatives from the culture that’s being targeted. Case in point: H&M’s recent collaboration with Indian designer Anamika Khanna, which sold out within an hour of launching at Dubai Mall last month.
Christian Allaire, author of Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures, encourages cultural “appreciation” over “appropriation”, which occurs when designers buy pieces straight from the source, or work directly with artisans from those communities rather than borrowing or exploiting their styles.
Louboutin has expressed his admiration for how Indian designers expertly drape fabrics, as well his fondness for the country in general. In 2017, he even collaborated with Indian couturier Sabyasachi. The French footwear brand produced this Diwali collection primarily for the Indian market, using materials sourced from there – so I wouldn’t denounce this as an instance of cultural appropriation.
I think Louboutin sincerely meant to pay homage to South Asian culture through his shoe designs, but they simply don’t measure up to his complicated, classy and culturally nuanced muse.
Finally, just because a product rooted in history does not mean it has to cost an arm and a leg. Whether you’re looking to match your Diwali outfit with a pair with gold floral motifs with a neon trim, or on the hunt for pearl-studded ribbons, simply head to the India pavilion at Global Village, which opened last week. Here you’ll find hundreds of juttis at a fraction of the price of India-inspired Loubies – and some might even come with a tastefully colour-coded red sole.
