Parsons Alumni to Design Looks for Christian Louboutin Anniversary Event

“What I found exciting and interesting about all the finalists is that they took an element of each of the shoes, or a unique detail, and created something completely different,” Louboutin told WWD. “The translation was not literal, [and] that is one of the things I really liked about these designs, because that is also how I approach my work.” The winners: Isaias Arias, Joanna Baker, Manuela Di Prima, Vivian Graf and Hyeyoung Kim.


Christian Louboutin, Bergdorf Goodman and Parsons The New School for Design called upon the talents of the school’s alumni to help celebrate the footwear brand’s 20th anniversary. The competition was open to design students who graduated in 2010 and 2011, encouraging them to create apparel inspired by Louboutin’s silhouettes of the past two decades, as well as the brand’s new capsule collection. The first step of the contest, which asked participants to submit mood, illustration and fabric concept boards, narrowed the submission pool down to 20 applicants, selected by Simon Collins, dean of the Parsons School of Fashion. From this group, Christian Louboutin and Bergdorf’s Linda Fargo picked five winners, each of whom received a stipend provided by the brand and retailer to produce his or her garments — to be unveiled at the Christian Louboutin 20th-anniversary event at Bergdorf’s in early February.(WWD reports)