Cart 0
Contact us
The red sole is probably the most recognizable signature in all of fashion: a flash of carmine under a black pump, and everyone knows who designed it. This guide tells its story, answers the questions we're asked — and presents our current red-soled pairs.
It's Christian Louboutin, a French shoemaker based in Paris since 1991. The red lacquered sole is the signature of all his creations — pumps, sandals, wedges, sneakers — to the point of becoming more famous than any logo.
The man himself is a character: having worked in Parisian cabarets and trained with great shoemakers, he built an independent house that has become one of the most desired in the world. We dedicated an entire article to him, on our fascination with Louboutin shoes.
The legend is true, and the house tells it itself: in the early 1990s, Christian Louboutin found that a prototype lacked the energy of his design. His assistant was painting her nails red; he grabbed the bottle and lacquered the sole. The evidence was immediate — the shoe came to life.
Since then, the red has remained: a deep, lacquered red, applied to every pair, which turns the sole — that part no one ever looked at — into the most watched gesture of the shoe.
Christian Louboutin · Size 40.5
Christian Louboutin · Size 38
Christian Louboutin · Size 39
Yes. Christian Louboutin has registered its red sole as a trademark and defended it in courts worldwide — particularly in Europe, where justice has confirmed that, when applied to a sole, this specific red color identifies the house and it alone.
In concrete terms: a new shoe with a lacquered red sole that is not a Louboutin is very likely to be a counterfeit. This is a useful benchmark in pre-owned luxury — and one more reason to buy authenticated pairs, such as those in our Christian Louboutin section.
A red sole that scratches is normal: the lacquer marks from the very first steps — connoisseurs even consider that a scratched sole proves that you truly wear your shoes. To protect it, a shoemaker can apply a thin, transparent, or red sole protector.
And when the sole is truly worn, it can be refurbished: skilled artisans apply a red half-sole according to the rules of the trade. We discuss this in our guides on luxury shoe repair and the art of speaking to your shoemaker — and our Bordeaux workshop takes care of this for the pairs that come through our hands.
Christian Louboutin, the French shoe designer, has been painting the soles of all his creations with a signature red since the early 1990s. The idea originated from a bottle of nail polish borrowed from his assistant to bring a prototype to life.
Because Christian Louboutin was looking for the energy that a prototype lacked: he found it by lacquering the sole with red nail polish. The gesture became the house's signature — a burst of color where no one else put it.
Yes: a good cobbler adds a protective sole guard to a new sole, or a red half-sole to a pre-owned pair. This is a classic repair that extends the life of the shoe by several years — our pairs go through the workshop before sale.
On a luxury shoe, yes: the red lacquered sole is a registered trademark of Christian Louboutin, as confirmed by European courts. A "red sole" of a different origin is either a sole dyed in another shade or a counterfeit.
Prada · Size 36
Prada · Size 38
Miu Miu · Size 40
Chanel · Size 36.5