Christian Louboutin feared Tina Turner would injure herself while wearing his shoes during a performance and Nicole Farhi claims designers are forking out tens of thousands of pounds to have celebrities perched front row at their fashion shows.
The designer created footwear for the singer to wear during a concert in Madison Square Garden in New York some years ago but was horrified when he realised her adventurous routine included climbing scaffolding in the skyscraper heels.
He told WWD, “I remember doing shoes for Tina Turner and bringing them to Madison Square Garden for her show, and when the show opened all I could see was scaffolding on the stage, and I thought, Oh, my god, she’s going to climb on the scaffolding and jump from the scaffolding. I was paralysed; I couldn’t enjoy the show as I was so worried about her breaking her neck. I knew the height of the heel. You just don’t want this to happen.”
While all of Christian’s designs hold a special memory for him, he admitted he does have a favorite.
Asked which shoe he would save from a burning building, he said, “I would go for more of an emotional one. I would go for the Love shoe, which was my first shoe and was really the birth of my company.”
The designer has called the alleged system “unprofessional” and “stupid” because it results in more interest being paid to the stars attending such events rather than the clothes on display.
She told Stella magazine, “It is so unprofessional. I have never paid a celebrity and I will never do it. It’s stupid.
“What do they show you in the papers after a fashion show? Not the clothes, but the celebrities who are being paid to sit at the show.”
Following her comments, the 65-year-old French-born designer is expecting to be snubbed by fellow designers, but she doesn’t “give a s**t” because she feels so strongly about the issue.
She added, “They will all hate me for it. I don’t give a s**t because I think it is abominable.”
Emma Whitehair, a fashion PR who runs White Smoke Communications, confirmed celebrities do get paid to take up a front row seat at fashion events, but she refused to name any stars.
She told MailOnline, “Absolutely it happens, but it would be professional suicide to mention brands and celebrities involved.
“Unfortunately the public can’t identify a designer who has a genuine relationship with a celebrity or has paid someone to be in the front row. But it’s fair to say some of the biggest brands will have a ‘talent’ budget.
“Brands with money need to guarantee coverage and that’s the only sure-fire way of getting it.”
