To the surprise and delight of the fashion crowd, Christain Louboutin brought the summer Olympics to Paris Fashion week this autumn, calling on the French artistic swimming team to help stage his SS25 fashion show, hosted at Paris’ Art Deco Piscine Molitor.
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Louboutin put on a spectacle to remember in collaboration with renowned film director and photographer David LaChapelle and choreographer Blanca Li, orchestrating a synchronized aquatic performance evocative of 1950s Hollywood water ballets. The main point of difference? All the swimmers were wearing the brand’s Miss Z heels.
Louboutin, who is known for showcasing his famous red-soled shoes via off-beat show concepts during fashion week, said the show was inspired by the shared love of movement between the three creatives.
‘Something the three of us clearly have in common is our love for dance,’ Louboutin said. ‘Blanca made it her world, David some of his major art works, and me, I also started by designing shoes for dancers.’
Guests watched as the Olympic team — all dressed in retro bathing suits designed by French singer and designer Fifi Chachnil — performed a perfectly synchronized water acrobatics routine, the Louboutin’s signature red soles flying through the air as swimmers disappeared beneath the pool’s surface. Moves were perfectly timed to the beat of LP, who performed the soundtrack for the evening’s festivities, while white bubbles fell from the sky. The playful scene had the crowd captivated.
‘I wanted to bring back this feeling of Hollywood cinema from the 20th century but at the same time the result is very contemporary,’ said LaChapelle. ‘What is beautiful is to inspire ourselves in the past to create something of today.’
Blanca Li, Christian Louboutin, LP and David LaChapelle applaud the French Olympic artistic swimming team.
The celebratory experience culminating in an in-pool celebration, with Louboutin himself sliding down the giant pair of Christian Louboutin shoes into the pool to join the frolicking. In addition to the live performance, LaChapelle also directed a film that will be available to watch on the brand’s website.
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