Creative director John Galliano collaborated with Christian Louboutin for Maison Margiela‘s Artisanal spring 2024 couture collection, which was presented with a theatrical runway show during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday. The powerful designer duo created six different tabi shoes — all of them featuring Loboutin’s signature red sole while embracing Margiela’s split-toe silhouette.
The split-toe design was applied to pumps, platforms and boots that integrated Margiela’s opera-like, Parisian-inspired and voyeuristic show.
The Margiela x Louboutin’s Tabi pumps received an animalistic transformation with prothese-augmented heel caps evoking the outline of hoofs. The style features 4.7-inch heels in black, white or beige leather and emerald velour.
The collection continued with the Tabi two-piece heels featuring an ankle strap in black neoprene or pink or emerald velour and faux lizard, and the Tabi two-piece heels with an interlaced ankle strap in black neoprene or velour and faux lizard in yellow, emerald or Eau de Nil.
The Tabi knee-high boots presented on the show were crafted with ponyskin leather, which was painted with a reverse degradé technique to evoke an animal-like aesthetic.
Tabi lace-up derbies were introduced in black leather and leopard-printed neoprene on the runway. The collaboration also included Tabi lace-up boots and Tabi brogue boots in black leather or black croc-embossed leather.
Another highlight of the collaboration is its ankle strap pump, which was constructed as a sole-less standalone stiletto heel.
In the front row of the Paris show, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner were seen wearing styles from the Margiela x Louboutin collaboration.
Margiela first launched its tabi shoes, inspired by Japanese tabi socks, in the 1980s. The silhouette has become a staple of the brand and has been embraced by many fashion enthusiasts and celebrity influencers in the past years, including Dua Lipa and Chlöe Sevigny.
“John and I met about 40 years ago when he first moved to Paris. Working with someone you love and respect was really the nice part of the collaboration. Moreover, Maison Margiela has such precise and strong codes that you can refer to, which are very well preserved,” Louboutin said about the collaboration via statement.
About the Author:
Renan Botelho is the senior Digital Editor for Footwear News, reporting on the latest fashion trends and celebrity style. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Methodist University of São Paulo. He can be reached at rbotelho@footwearnews.com.
