Mois : septembre 2024

He was only 12 years old when, at home in Paris, where he lived with his mother and three sisters, Christian Louboutin started designing women’s shoes, as he was intrigued by the female universe and by the power of a pair of stilettos. But the real life-changing moment was when he started working as an intern at Folies Bergères: observing the legs of the dancers, he realized that shoes can change the way a woman walks and moves. So he called Hélène de Mortemart, Christian Dior’s Fashion Director, to show her his sketches, and she helped him find an internship. «The smell of glue was enough to make me understand that this was my greatest passion» he loves to say. Then he worked few months with celebrated designer Roger Vivier, where he learned how to create a magical symbiosis between design and craftsmanship. He was now ready to step onto the big stage.

When Christian Louboutin opened his first boutique, he was less than 30 years old, and it quickly became a reference, thanks to Caroline de Monaco who was one of his early clients. But there was still something missing. He found it by chance: while he was working on a new collection inspired by Pop Art, he noticed the red lacquer color on his assistant’s nails. The rest is history: he asked her to lend him her nail polish and used it to paint the entire sole. His first “signature” mark was born. That extra edge that turns his shoes into a highly recognizable object of desire, into the symbol of a strong and independent woman who, walking in her stilettos, leaves her indelible red mark on the streets. Today, Louboutin shoes are cult objects exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  His most celebrated creations include the Kate and So Kate stilettos designed in honor of his dear friend Kate Moss, and the made-to-measure pieces designed for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” and for Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance”.

Over his long career, Christian Louboutin has never lost his curiosity and joie de vivre, travelling all over the world and working with artisans from countries such as Bhutan, Senegal and Mexico, as well as with artists, singers and, above all, celebrated designers. He designed shoes for the shows of some of the biggest names in fashion, like Jean Paul Gautier, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, combining his unparalleled artisanal skills with a clear aesthetic vision. That’s the key to his success, the reason why “Louboutin shoes” are seen strutting down red carpets worldwide, worn by international celebrities.  Not only women, however, as, since 2009, there is also a men’s line and, lately, a kid’s one. These new projects speak the same language, adding on to the leather goods and accessories collections and the recently launched beauty line that, needless to say, also includes a nail polish. Obviously red.

It has been signed by 20,000 companies and 2,500 non-commercial signatories from over 167 countries around the world, including 500 in Italy. And among the companies, from today, there is also Marcolin. We are referring to the “United Nations Global Compact”, the largest corporate citizenship initiative, started in 2000 with a proposal by former United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan during the work of the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1999. The objective? Combat the critical aspects of globalization, from child labor to gender discrimination to air, water and land pollution. And promote a sustainable global economy, respectful of human and labor rights, environmental protection and the fight against corruption. For the first time in history, the commitment to align the objectives of the international community with those of the business world was established.

For the Longarone-based Group, this is a further step on the path towards concrete and tangible sustainability, based on a business process strategy that relies on three pillars: environment, people and supply chain. By adhering to the Global Compact, Marcolin is committed to sharing, supporting and applying the ten principles considered fundamental within its sphere of influence. These principles are those universally shared and derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Declaration (labor), the Rio Declaration (environment and development) and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

Almost 25 years after the establishment of the Global Compact (at the first summit attended by only 500 representatives of national governments, trade unions and UN agencies) it has become even more evident that this is the right direction. Because it is only by joining forces that every company can truly impact and contribute to building a more sustainable tomorrow, from all points of view, for present and future generations. And because achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is in everyone’s interest.