The Galerie Vero-Dodat, one of Paris’s most storied retail arcades, inspires Passage. Sleek, timeless, and impeccably proportioned, Passage is a structured handbag fusing modern style with classic, ladylike polish.
The centrepiece of the range is its hardware. Curved metal handles evoke the wrought-iron entry arches of the Galerie Véro-Dodat, the landmark shopping arcade in Paris where Christian Louboutin opened his first boutique at the end of 1991.
The Galerie, also known as the Passage, opened in 1826 as a venue where moneyed Parisians could dine, shop, and promenade, protected from the grit and the grime of the city. A neo-classical marvel with chequerboard floors, brass-trimmed shop fronts, and vaulted skylights, the Galerie was restored to its original, aristocratic splendour in 1997.
Today the Galerie represents the centre of Louboutin’s world, housing women’s, men’s, and pop-up handbag boutiques, as well as the brand’s atelier and offices. This Passage holds singular resonance for Louboutin. “People laugh because you walk down this particular street and all you see is beautiful women in red soles—[it is] Passage Louboutin,” he says.
About Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin was created in 1992 when Louboutin opened his first store at 19 Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Paris. The brand currently has 92 stores worldwide including a number of dedicated Men’s boutiques. A seminal volume entitled ‘Christian Louboutin’ charts the success of the company over the last two decades and is available now, published by Rizzoli. Recent special collaborations with legendary Parisian Cabaret, Crazy Horse and Walt Disney Studios along with creative projects with those from the worlds of music, art and film typify the creative dexterity of the designer. A retrospective exhibition of his inventive designs was held in 2012 at London’s prestigious Design Museum and more recently in Toronto at the National Design Museum of Canada, Design Exchange.
Christian Louboutin is exclusively available in Rustan’s Makati
