Capsule Collection
“BUTTON FLOWER BLOSSOMS”, 2024
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN ×
SHUN SUDO
As part of his Spring/Summer 2024 collection, Christian Louboutin joins together with Japanese artist Shun Sudo to unveil an exciting lifestyle capsule of colorful shoes and accessories for women and men. The limited capsule collection launches alongside a vibrant and exclusive artwork crafted by Shun Sudo to illustrate the collaboration: Button Flower Blossoms. Co-designed by Shun Sudo & Christian Louboutin, this artistic collaboration ties back to the designerʼs vivid passions for art and nature, revisiting a selection of the Maisonʼs most iconic silhouettes in an exclusive floral print and embellishment.
“I love Shun Sudo’s work. While working on the collection we discovered many common points in the way we work on colors, with strong and audacious combinations. And since the very beginning of my career I’ve one emblematic flower: the Pensee (my first design to receive the red sole), he has his own one: the Button Flower that appeared to become the center of the collection. His technique also is very characteristic and I did my best to transcript this painting effect on the shoes.”
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
“Christian Louboutin’s shoes exude a sense of beauty, eccentricity, and delicacy that I have never seen in my life. They inspired my creativity. I am very grateful to have collaborated with Christian. Flowers, with their nobility and grace, their sweetness and charm, they have a special ability to heal our hearts. The Button, is, in my mind, the perfect embodi- ment of something that connects two separate things and makes them one. The “Button Flower” brings these two powerful symbols together and is really at the very core of my personal philosophy of hope and my wish that the hearts of different peoples, nations, and cultures will be joined into one.“
SHUN SUDO
Capsule Collection
“BUTTON FLOWER BLOSSOMS”, 2024
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN ×
SHUN SUDO
As part of his Spring/Summer 2024 collection, Christian Louboutin joins together with Japanese artist Shun Sudo to unveil an exciting lifestyle capsule of colorful shoes and accessories for women and men. The limited capsule collection launches alongside a vibrant and exclusive artwork crafted by Shun Sudo to illustrate the collaboration: Button Flower Blossoms. Co-designed by Shun Sudo & Christian Louboutin, this artistic collaboration ties back to the designerʼs vivid passions for art and nature, revisiting a selection of the Maisonʼs most iconic silhouettes in an exclusive floral print and embellishment.
“I love Shun Sudo’s work. While working on the collection we discovered many common points in the way we work on colors, with strong and audacious combinations. And since the very beginning of my career I’ve one emblematic flower: the Pensee (my first design to receive the red sole), he has his own one: the Button Flower that appeared to become the center of the collection. His technique also is very characteristic and I did my best to transcript this painting effect on the shoes.”
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
“Christian Louboutin’s shoes exude a sense of beauty, eccentricity, and delicacy that I have never seen in my life. They inspired my creativity. I am very grateful to have collaborated with Christian. Flowers, with their nobility and grace, their sweetness and charm, they have a special ability to heal our hearts. The Button, is, in my mind, the perfect embodi- ment of something that connects two separate things and makes them one. The “Button Flower” brings these two powerful symbols together and is really at the very core of my personal philosophy of hope and my wish that the hearts of different peoples, nations, and cultures will be joined into one.“
SHUN SUDO
Studying history was never my thing. I was always more interested in the present and future, rather than what happened in the past. I didn’t have a strong sense of patriotism toward Japan either. I felt more admiration for the countries I had yet to see across the ocean than the country where I was born and raised. That’s probably why I spent a long time traveling overseas.
It’s funny how the more I traveled, the more I felt the wonders of Japan, and the more I thought about its history and traditions. It wasn’t until I became an adult who was able to travel freely that I realized perhaps the scenery that I had casually seen and the changing seasons I had taken for granted were something unique to Japan. Something that had been created over a long period of time.
When I looked at the carefully maintained garden from the veranda of Ryosokuin, I thought that this was exactly the beauty of Japan. The appearance changes swiftly to a move of a cloud or a blow of a wind. These trees, rocks and water have created this beautiful landscape over hundreds of years, gradually changing their shapes and colors. Everything I saw seemed instantaneous and eternal at the same time.
With mixed senses of great awe and pride, I started painting. I had never been conscious of being Japanese while drawing until now. In fact, I had always thought of myself as a person who is far from such nationalism. During the process of painting, the Japanese part of me awakened. I feel as if the landscape and history of Ryosokuin has awaken the Japanese in me. I was taken to a place I would never have reached on my own and was able to create this work of art I would never have been able to draw by myself. Through this work, I would like to express my gratitude to Ryosokuin, Kyoto and to Japan for raising me.
SHUN SUDO