Good friends Christian Louboutin and Idris and Sabrina Elba teamed up for a cause-driven collaboration, and after a year in the making, the resulting collection of impactful and meaningful ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ footwear is officially here.
The collaboration was first conceived during the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The couple took to Instagram Live to begin a conversation surrounding racial injustice and discrimination with BLM cofounder Opal Tometi, which shoemaker Louboutin tuned into, knowing he needed to become part of the conversation too.
For the trio, who met years back and struck up an immediate friendship, the collection was all about making a contribution. Over video chat, they brainstormed the ways in which they could not only do that, but incite positive change for the Black community across the globe.
As a result, the Walk a Mile in My Shoes collection will benefit five non-profit organizations—all of which were selected by Louboutin and the Elbas themselves: Be Rose, Purposeful, Immediate Theatre, Gathering for Justice, and the Somali Hope Foundation which all seek to fight oppression and advance racial justice initiatives. More specifically, the selected organizations aim to make the arts accessible to Black youth, put an end to unlawful incarceration, and provide mentorship.
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Aesthetically, the collection combines the design input from the Elbas and the traditional silhouette and style of a Louboutin pump. The offering includes four shoe styles—a signature Louboutin pointed-toe pump and mule sandal for her, and a high-top sneaker and dress shoe for him—as well as a leather top-handle carry-all. In particular, the use of the slogan“walk a mile in my shoes,” which had stuck with the actor after a visit to the MLK Memorial in L.A.
Great conversation between myself, @MisanHarriman, @Sabrinaelba and #ChristianLouboutin on the inspiration behind the #WalkAMileInMyShoes capsule collection. We chatted shoes, inspiration, charities, an end to oppression and hope 🙏🏾 For more, visit: https://t.co/Kfhpzbogqx pic.twitter.com/yfkmc2T41O
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) June 15, 2021
“It’s about the contribution, you know?” Idris told photographer Misan Harriman. “Some people can contribute by protesting. Some people can contribute by turning legislation. Some people can contribute by offering money. But the intention of the contribution is what is important.”
For Louboutin, it was a necessity that his contribution was present at every stage of the game—from the collection’s inception to its retail—which also meant donating 100% of the proceeds to the organizations.
As for the future, the trio has announced that this collection will be the first of many—all of which will be curated for a good cause.
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