Christian Louboutin: The inspiration behind the red sole

From the catwalk to the sidewalk, the name Christian Louboutin has come to define glamorous footwear to women around the world. The iconic designer showed CBS News' Charlie D'Agata the passion and vision behind his shoe empire.Louboutin has been getting into women's heads and their shoes for the past two decades.His towering heels have embedded themselves in popular culture - from hip-hop christian louboutin outlet divas in racy videos to strong female characters in TV series, such as "Sex and the City."

Louboutin on using spikes in shoe designs, breaking away from standards.The red carpet is a catwalk for his red-lacquered soles, which is less an accessory than an attitude. They are a statement and a state of mind."I am sometimes exactly to the same place to the woman in louboutin outlet front of the mirror, looking at herself, looking at her a--, and thinking: 'OK, this looks good, let's go for the shoes,'" said Louboutin.

But it all began very small. He opened his first boutique in Paris in 1991. Back then, he dreamed that just maybe, one day, he'd open another shop in New York.Now, his empire of 93 shops sells almost a million pairs of shoes a year worldwide to women and men.Growing up in the French capital, he became intoxicated by the glamour of the Moulin Rouge. christian louboutin red heels And at just 16 years old, he went to work for the famed cabaret Folies Berg¨¨re, where he began by sewing sequins onto costumes before honing his skills as a cobbler under legendary French shoe designer Charles Jourdan."Yes, burlesque and cabaret has always been a big inspirational thing for me," said Louboutin. "I have this thing for sure that women, in every woman, there is a showgirl in a way."It's the perfect fit that counts. It's this pursuit of perfection that stands out at his Paris atelier, where A-listers and VIPs come for their made-to-measure shoes.

When asked if he was concerned that women might not want to be considered showgirls, Louboutin responded, "I don't think that there is any danger thinking about women who don't want to be showgirls. I'm not obliging any women to wear my shoes. Sometimes I feel offended that, christian louboutin outlet uk when people are telling me that I'm obliging women to be perched on super high heels, it is crazy and it is out of nature."Out of nature or not, he has taken some criticism for those super high heels. Wearing some of his killer stilettos can be a killer. But Louboutin outlet there are times that sexy should trump comfy.