Christian Louboutin launches sunglasses furthering its brand offering

Christian Louboutin’s infamous red sole is the stuff of footwear industry lore; the designer used nail polish to paint the soles of his sexy stilettos to make the shoe stand out at an early trade show.

This tidbit helped inspire the brand to branch out into its highly successful beauty line. The brand also produces handbags, a full range of accessories, a kid’s shoe line, and bridal footwear. Now, the designer is adding another new category: eyewear.

With the plethora of rich brand codes—spike studs, pointy edges a la the stiletto, fishnet pattern designs, metallic finishes, and, of course, those famous, lawsuit-worthy red soles—Christian Louboutin has teamed up with Marcolin to debut its first-ever sunglass and optical collections.

With a total of nine sunglass styles in various colorways and four optical styles, the brand will retail from
approximately $625 to $875 with distribution online at its dedicated web-store and at Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

According to a release, the offerings include women’s and men’s styles and draw inspiration from Christian Louboutin’s work in pursuit of the ‘perfect structural lines. ‘ The eyewear range includes new ZEISS lenses, which provide crystal-clear, comfortable vision thanks to anti-reflective coatings, glare reduction, and durability treatments.
 
Described as a collection of ‘modern luxury’ according to a company spokesperson, the styles blend acetate and metal trims and mechanics. Brand codes are present as a row of teeny spikes on a pair of oversized Navigator frames; minuscule red sole hardware adorns the frames of Art-Deco cat and oval styles.

Mesh patterns on bridges and temples recall the designer’s fishnet-inspired styles on the Rocker and So Kate styles. At the same time, red details appear as linear accents on the exterior and interiors of the frames, such as the Georges or Greggo 2 frames. Some styles take ‘rose-colored’ glasses to a new level with cherry red lenses, as seen on a version of the Miss Z. Many details also mimic the brand’s beauty offerings.

To celebrate, Marcolin is hosting a New York debut party next week at the trendy The Nines restaurant and piano room, which, fittingly, is doused in red from ceiling to floor.