Renowned French designer Pierre Yovanovitch has partnered with iconic “red bottoms” maker Christian Louboutin to create a series of open-edition chairs inspired by “historical muses, mythology and film.” The collection features nine limited-edition pieces modelled after Yovanovitch’s acclaimed Clam chair but with the tale-tailed Louboutin red-soled heels as the legs.
Each of the nine pieces represents a specific type of character. The “Dita,” created after Louboutin’s friend Dita Von Teese, features a burlesque costume with laser-engraved upholstery. Meanwhile, the “Josefina” is a nod to one of the ’20s greatest cabaret performers and features dark mahogany oak and a fringed leather seat. The “Syrena” gives mermaid energy embroidered blue marine fabric and fishnet legs. There are also five “Simply Nude” chairs, which pay homage to Louboutin’s celebrated Nudes footwear collection.
“It was Pierre who came up with the idea for this collaboration. We had already worked together on some of my interior design projects,” states Christian Louboutin. “To celebrate his iconic Clam chair, I summoned pharaonic goddesses, queens of the stage or queens of the night, chimeras, and heroines of cinema… All these feminine figures who have accompanied and inspired me throughout my career and who are found, thanks to exceptional embroiderers, weavers, and cabinetmakers, on the various ornaments of these nine chairs. Pierre also drew inspiration from my work around the Nudes, shoes that take on the different skin tones, from the lightest to the darkest.”
To craft these works, Louboutin and Yovanovitch commissioned a roster of world-class French artisans, including embroiderers Maisons Vermont, Lesage Interieurs and Montox; Atelier Jouffre and Hugo Delavelle for their furniture artisanry; MM7’s (Minuit Moins 7) upholstery; art foundry Solyfonte; goldsmith Alm Deco, leatherwork by Audrey Ludwig and painter Christophe Martin, to name a few.
The collection will be on view at Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier New York from May 3 to May 24, and is available for purchase globally via pierreyovanovitch.com now.