- Christian Louboutin heels are among the most recognizable shoes in the fashion industry and have been worn by countless celebrities.
- The famous red-painted soles are an iconic feature of the shoes but are incredibly delicate.
- Vincent Rao, Jr is the owner of Vince's Village Cobbler, a company that, among other things, restores pre-loved shoes. He shows us how he restores a pair the luxury shoe.
"A lot of people will buy Louboutins, they'll scoff off the bottoms, they'll have a couple of marks and assume the shoes are done. And they'll go and give them up in a consignment shop. Then someone will come along and realise that the shoe can actually very well be restored," he says.
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Vincent says the bottoms of Louboutins are some of the most delicate he's ever come across as they are not really meant to be worn on concrete.
Restoring a pair that costs about R17 000, he begins by sanding down the soles before attaching new rubber soles to the shoes.
"Most Louboutins are extremely high heel," Vincent says, explaining that the heels often need to be replaced as they are also usually thin and wear off quickly.
He always finishes off each pair with a good cleaning and deodoriser.
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"It's nice to have a shoe that you can [wear to] show off your efforts, and your work and walk around and be proud of it. A lot of people find that in Louboutins, and I see it, I get it," Vincent says.
What's your favourite shoe brand? Tell us here.
Compiled by Nthabi Nhlapo
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