Christian Louboutin Cassia Lace Up Ad Campaign

Review of Christian Louboutin Cassia Lace Up Ad Campaign by Photographer Marcin Kempski with models Laiza de Moura, Mao Xiaoxing, Nyanderi Deng, Rey, and Sofi Damzina

Christian Louboutin continues his reign with the drop of an elegant, ballet-inspired nude collection. Marcin Kempski captures the Cassia Lace Up with beautiful simplicity and grace. The campaign features five models each showcasing a variation of nude from the collection. With a stark white backdrop, and matching nude bodysuits, there is nothing distracting the eye from the beautiful silhouette of the Cassia Lace Up, especially the color…

Christian Louboutin launched his first collection of nudes in 2013 where the term nude takes on a plural implication “evoking the softness and lightness of skin in all its complexions”. Louboutin’s nudes are meant to melt into the skin and erase the boundary between body and object. While this campaign emphasizes the importance of shade range and inclusivity, it does not demonstrate the precedent.

With only five nude options, it’s expected that not every skin tone will find a perfect match.The darkest nude in the collection not only fails to match, but starkly contrasts the model’s rich skin tone. With intentions of seamlessness and erasure of contrast, the campaign blatantly misses the mark with its “darkest” nude.

This misstep is perplexing due to the message behind the campaign, Christian himself stating:

“The weight of words is important – nude is not a beige color, but a concept and it should be plural to reflect the full spectrum of skin tones.” Intention seems to be present, but demonstration of that intent is lacking.

The campaign is elegant in expected Louboutin fashion, and the shoe itself backs up the elongated, flattering effect. With a point-shoe inspired toe box and satin ribbons that tie up the lower leg, these shoes are delicate yet beautifully fierce. The sentiment here is strong in descriptive terms but was let down visually. The campaign’s grace is tainted by the surprisingly evident lapse in truly inclusive shades.

The Cassia Lace Up campaign led with beautiful intentions, but the execution fell short.