Is Louboutin loaning its coveted red sole to Cuban athletes? Now, how do we get citizenship?
The rumors are true. Christian Louboutin has teamed with former professional handball player, Henri Tai, to design the Cuban Olympic team’s non-performance wear. While we saw Louboutin step into the beauty world, this is a highly unexpected leap into actual clothing design. Nevertheless, we’re excited to see the red extend from toe to head.
Henri Tai founded the men’s e-concept store, SportyHenri.com, which specializes in activewear. And with Tai’s activewear expertise and Louboutin’s trained eye for design, the two have produced a tailored collection, featuring cargo-styled blazers in red for the men and a more petite, beige suit for the women. Cuban flags are stitched onto the breast pockets, while a five-pointed star is featured on the rear.
Of course, the look wouldn’t be complete without a few Louboutin originals. The men will sport a calf leather high-top trainer or Naza star loafer, while the women are given the option of an equally patriotic kitten-heel sandal.
The athletes helped foster the collection’s creation. A series of custom fittings in Paris allowed the Cuban athletes to offer their own input on the design, allowing Louboutin and Tai to showcase true Cuban heritage in a chic design.
As Louboutin talks to WWD, in awe of the Olympic athletes, we begin to understand the designer’s sudden movement into the clothing realm. Louboutin explains, “It’s that elegance and fluidity of movement of someone who is so in control of their body that fascinates me. At the Olympics, it feels like these athletes put on performance gear and simultaneously turn into these superheroes that defy gravity, that defy time, that defy all rules of physics.”
The designer continues, “We designed the celebratory outfit for the moment they turn back into humans, still in that glory moment, still in their light but heading back to the real world.”
The athletes will don these looks for the Olympics closing ceremonies as they celebrate not only their recent sporting achievements but also their country and its heritage. And in that standout Louboutin red, they’ll look good doing it.
