Christian Louboutin x StudioXAG: From Draft to Craft

In 2020 we worked with the team at Christian Louboutin to design their new Paris flagship boutique, located on Paris’s exclusive Rue Saint-Honoré and situated over three floors, the 260 square metre space embodies the essence of the Maison’s signature style and playful approach.

StudioXAG worked with the team at Christian Louboutin to define the creative concept for the store, designed to occupy the space for 1-2 years. The concept speaks to the ephemeral nature of the space, offering elevated storytelling and rich materiality the Louboutin consumer would expect, but without the constraints of a permanent shopfit.

Drawing inspiration from the rich heritage of the brand and the quick turnaround of the project, we imagined a store celebrating the beauty of a ‘work in progress’, the craftsmen and artisans working on the store have left in a hurry, giving the illusion that the store is in mid-execution! Their abandoned ladders and toolboxes have been hijacked to show the latest collection.

In lieu of a traditional show at Paris Fashion Week, Christian Louboutin’s brilliant team used our 3D models to bring their store to a new audience through the gaming world of Zepetto. Making up part of their fabulous fashion destination, where players could engage with the brand, explore the collection, attend exciting events and interact with Christian himself through his avatar.

Soaked in a rich vermillion, Louboutin’s signature red hue is present throughout the store, with arches and hand painted designs from the designer’s very first boutique in Paris’s Galerie Vero Dodat punctuating the space.

Product plinths elaborately sculpted in lacquered Kraft paper are yet to be unwrapped, sculpturally tied with red rope. Meticulously handcrafted Abyssinian tigers, Siam elephants and Madagascan lemurs have been set loose in the store, some cheekily climbing the walls whilst others delicately balance footwear and accessories from the collection.

In collaboration with the Christian Louboutin Architecture team, we created the identity for the store, designing the full store treatment and the fixtures.

We fabricated each piece in our East London Workshop over an 8-week period, from decorative display items to store fixtures.