Anticipation for the 2017 FN CEO Summit in Miami is building — and attendees will get a rare chance to hear from footwear legend Christian Louboutin.
The theme of this year’s event centers around industry game changers — and no one has changed the game quite like Monsieur Louboutin. The designer, who will take the stage during the second evening of the event, will discuss how he’s built a fashion empire in his own unconventional way.
To register for the summit, click here, or contact Kim Mancuso at kmancuso@wwd.com or 646-356-4722. And read below for some of Louboutin’s most memorable quotes in FN through the years.
On being superstitious: “The DNA of the company isn’t corporate. And I’m quite superstitious. For example, I started on [Rue] Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris, [where I have my stores and offices]. We probably need a bigger space, but I’ve always said no. There is no possible way I’m going to move. Businesswise, maybe that’s not the best thing to do. But it’s a respect for the people. It has to stay that way.” — 2012
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On his business strategy: “I never had a plan. I have to say, I’m very shocked when people start a company and say, ‘In five years I want to launch a perfume, or in 10 years I want to have this.’ How can you know? Everything was a surprise to me, and that allowed me to enjoy every aspect of what I was doing. Of course, there is some plan now, but that’s new for me and the company. And every plan can change.” — 2012
On being “on trend”: “I don’t think about that, whether I’m more trendy or less trendy [than before]. I don’t question myself. I’m excited about my work, and that keeps me going. It’s important that people like what I’m doing, but I don’t necessarily want to evaluate my work through other people’s eyes.” — 2014
On work-life balance: “I’d rather do things well than [split] myself into too many categories. I work a lot and I love it, but I still need to have time for me, for my friends and family. I feel sad when people drown themselves in their work. It sucks a lot of energy out of you. To get some of it back, you have to nourish yourself. It’s important to keep some time for pleasure.” — 2014
On the burgeoning men’s business: “Men want to be showmen just like women want to be showgirls. If you look back [over the past few decades], men used to dress up with complicated vests and bow ties. Now a lot of people don’t even wear bow ties. There was a shift, and the foot became the place where men have freedom to show their differences.” — 2014
On personal appearances: “It’s nice meeting people who like what you do. I couldn’t do it often — it’s exhausting, because it requires a lot of attention. In general, people are very nice. It’s celebrating my store, my customer and the people working with me.” — 2015