Christian Louboutin is now a billionaire

Christian Louboutin has officially become a billionaire. The French designer's eponymous brand, best known for its iconic red-soled shoes, was valued at 3.2 billion USD by investment firm Exor. As Louboutin owns a 35 percent stake in the company, his net worth is now estimated to be 1.2 billion USD, according to a new Forbes report.

Opening his first store in Paris in 1992, Louboutin accidentally invented his now world-famous and trademarked red sole when he applied his assistant’s nail polish to a pair of heels in his atelier. Since then, his designs have become world-renowned and favored among A-listers and actors from Angelina Jolie to Sarah Jessica Parker.

A firm believer that high-heeled shoes empower women, Louboutin, together with his business partners Herni Seydoux and Bruno Chambelland, with whom he established his brand in 1991, sold a 24 percent stake to Italian company Exor for approximately 650 million USD in 2021.

The holding company for the billionaire Agnelli family, Exor, became the brand’s largest stakeholder as the brand expanded its presence overseas, with a particular focus on China. Since then, the brand’s value has increased by 30 percent.

In 2023, Louboutin created custom shoes for Taylor Swift’s Era Tour and bespoke boots for Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour, further solidifying his brand’s position in mainstream pop culture.