Christian Louboutin
New York City | 2019
Christian Louboutin unveiled his newest capsule collection, the realization of a six year collaboration with The School of the Thirteen Royal Arts and Crafts in Bhutan, with a string of shows in Paris, Dubai, New York, and New Delhi. Effectively a "love letter to the country of Bhutan", the collection consists of thirteen hand-sculpted forms, each paying homage to the thirteen traditional crafts held sacred in Bhutanese culture.
For the New York launch, Optical Animal was hired to design and carry out the intricately detailed 360˚ digital mapping display, which carried over the same ornate patterns and traditional Bhutanese iconography found in the collection.
On the invitation of Louboutin, Ambassador Dama Tshering, Permanent Representative of Bhutan to the United Nations spoke at the event, conveying the "high regard and appreciation of the entire team in Bhutan for Mr. Louboutin's commitment of time, passion, genuine interest and affection for the country and this project." She added, “As the last surviving Mahayana Buddhist kingdom, we consider it our sacred duty to ensure that our living traditions are preserved and promoted, not only for future generations of Bhutanese, but to contribute to the wider common heritage of mankind."
