Idris And Sabrina Elba’s Louboutin Collab Is Truly Feel-Good Footwear

Sabrina Elba saved for a long time for her first Louboutins (a pair of the brand’s classic So Kate pumps), and recalls feeling “instantly powerful” when she finally put them on. Now one half of a bona fide British power couple – she and husband Idris recently unveiled their new lifestyle brand, S’able Labs – the model is now in possession of Louboutins even more special than that first, much longed for pair.

The Elbas have joined forces with their friend, Christian Louboutin, on a new capsule that will directly impact some of the causes closest to their hearts. The seeds for the collection were sown when the shoe designer heard the couple in conversation with the US activist Opal Tometi in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked a global conversation around systemic injustice and racism in the spring of 2020.

“[Hearing] the Instagram live was such a powerful and intense moment for me,” says Louboutin now. “I really had a rough night thinking about how we could help at our level. So, the day after, I called Idris and Sabrina, first to tell them I was proud, but also to discuss what we could do to help the cause.”

The Walk a Mile in My Shoes collection – from which 100 per cent of the profits will be donated to five grassroots organisations chosen by the Elbas – has come about as a direct result of that conversation a year ago. Sales of the shoes will benefit the Immediate Theatre, which provides access to the arts for underserved communities in East London; the Be Rose International Foundation’s flagship free breakfast programme in Sierra Leone; the Somali Hope Academy in Bursalah, Somalia; Purposeful, which supports marginalised girls in Sierra Leone, and Gathering for Justice in the US.

“Some people can contribute by protesting, some people can contribute by turning legislation, some people can contribute by offering money, but the intention of the contribution is what’s important,” Idris says. “The whole intention with this project is to fly a flag and say, we are thinking about this, and we want to do something.”

Recurring themes in the collection include Mandela’s Gold, Sabrina’s favourite flower (“whenever I’m travelling and I see them, I take a picture and send it to Christian”), and one that has come to represent hope and freedom. “It’s just such a beautiful symbol of authenticity, and seeing it on a So Kate to me is just a dream,” says Sabrina. The words “Walk a mile in my shoes” in Louboutin red script also appear on a number of the designs, including familiar styles like the Vieira trainer (which, incidentally, were Idris’s first pair of Louboutins).

For Louboutin himself, this particular collection reveal has been “much more emotional” than usual. “First because of the purpose of the capsule and the fact we need to raise as much money as possible to support these incredible grassroots organisations,” he says. “And secondly because I did it with friends very close to me, sharing deep common values. This time, we did things with our hearts.”

The collection is available now at Christian Louboutin Mount Street London, Selfridges London, and online.