Christian Louboutin and Maison Margiela debuted their collaborative capsule shoe collection on 12 March, 2025 reinterpreting the core codes of the luxury brands. Conceived during an artistic exchange between former Maison Margiela Creative Director John Galliano and Christian Louboutin, the shoes combine the deconstructed aesthetic of Maison Margiela with Christian Louboutin’s savoir-faire and iconic red sole.
Maison Margiela x Christian Louboutin
The Christian Louboutin x Maison Margiela capsule collection is a testament to the artistic dialogue that was part of the Maison Margiela 2024 Artisanal Collection in January 2024. This capsule collection reinterprets the core codes of both brands, combining the deconstructed aesthetic of Maison Margiela with Christian Louboutin’s savoir-faire and iconic red sole.
The collaboration witnesses the dressmaker and the shoemaker interpret their individual creative languages in a cross-pollinating twin capsule—Maison Margiela by Christian Louboutin and Christian Louboutin by Maison Margiela. Featuring three and four styles, respectively, the twin capsule collection was created by Maison Margiela Creative Director John Galliano and Christian Louboutin who’ve known each other forever. It will be released in selected boutiques worldwide and on the digital platforms of both Houses.
“John and I met about forty years ago when he first moved to Paris. Working with someone you love and respect was really the nice part of the collaboration. Moreover, Maison Margiela has such precise and strong codes that you can refer to, which are very well preserved”, says Christian Louboutin on the official website.
Maison Margiela by Christian Louboutin
Maison Margiela by Christian Louboutin is a reinterpretation of the iconic Tabi. Through Louboutin’s feminine sensibility and legendary red sole, the emblematic split-toe assumes a silhouette reminiscent of a woman’s décolleté. Instead of cutting the split into the toecap, it’s formed by connecting two individual pieces, creating what the houses describe as “unconscious glamour”.
Maison Margiela x Christian Louboutin
The three styles illustrate this glamour and sensuality. The Bridiela Una Strass is handcrafted in mesh with the crystal hand-made encrustation of Christian Louboutin, hinting at similar embellishment in the Maison Margiela 2024 Artisanal Collection. The Bridiela Una Strass is handcrafted in black and silver core to Maison Margiela and Louboutin’s characteristic blush.
The Loubiella Sandal is set on a 100mm stiletto, with its strap twisting asymmetrically across the dorsum and around the ankle. Handcrafted in black soft patent leather or platinum textured leather, the design echoes the weathered leitmotif of the Artisanal Collection. Handcrafted in black or deep red soft patent leather as well as black, blush and silver mesh with strass embellishment, The Marlougiela is a sleek, narrow ballerina with sculptural lines and a seductive silhouette.
Christian Louboutin by Maison Margiela
Christian Louboutin by Maison Margiela re-frames the seductive silhouettes of Christian Louboutin through the haute couture explorations developed in the Artisanal atelier. The capsule revolves around the Maison’s decortiqué, i.e. ‘strips something of its outer layers’. This technique exposes the shoe frames normally hidden from view by cutting out all the layers except the seams, boning or closures that hold it together. It serves as a representation of soul and authenticity.
The technique is applied to three shoes, each featuring the Christian Louboutin red sole. The Bilougiela 25 is a pointed ankle-strap sandal set on a 100mm heel. Executed by hand, the decortiqué technique partly peels the black patent leather off the surface to reveal the shoe structure, a practice repeated in the deconstructed heel cap. Through decortiqué, the leather appears as strands draped across the shoe to reveal the construction beneath.
The Martinloula knee-length boot, set on a 100mm heel, also employs decortiqué; here, the upper is left intact while leather strips are draped along the shaft of the boot to reveal the lining. Finally, Martoubi 25 is a pointed pump set on a 100mm heel. Executed in white leather, the heel cap is daubed in a red brushstroke. The detailing echoes the Maison’s bianchetto technique and evokes the smear of red nail varnish, alluding to the origin of the Red Sole.
Maison Margiela x Christian Louboutin
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
