Christian Louboutin and Coco Brandolini d’Adda go way back, as does the shoe guru’s friendship with her mother Georgina Brandolini.
The two fashion designers also share a love of color and texture, which is evident in their new collaboration on a limited-edition footwear collection.
It will be unveiled at a cocktail gathering Thursday at the Christian Louboutin flagship boutique on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, and at Coco Brandolini d’Adda’s atelier in Milan, where she showcases her ready-to-wear line D’Adda, cobbled together with batches of archival silks and vintage brocades sourced from various Italian mills.
For the project, Louboutin brought some of his popular shoe models, and Brandolini d’Adda surplus fabrics from her fall 2022 collection. They also co-created a new boot model, dubbed the Adadda, notched out around the ankle bumps.
“It’s always a pleasure to create designs in a dialogue with a woman and especially with a friend,” Louboutin said. “We don’t really see life in black and white, we both believe freedom is key when you create. It was a very fun project to do together, and I think this collection is really ‘us,’ which you can see in the designs.”
Only 162 pairs are up for grabs, including flats, slingbacks, high-heeled sandals and a variety of boots. They retail from $1,295 to $1,595.
A graduate of London fashion school Central Saint Martins, Coco Brandolini d’Adda has worked at various magazines and also in design or consulting roles at Oscar de la Renta, Alberta Ferretti, Adam Lippes and Dolce & Gabbana.