New Style Idea

After watching actor Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Elba’s Instagram Live with Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi last year, Christian Louboutin reached out to the couple to help continue their mission when it comes to social justice.

To give back to those voices who are often unheard, Louboutin and the Elba’s teamed up for a special collaboration. Releasing today is a collection of shoes, and 100% of the proceeds made from line will be donated directly to five non-profit organizations.

The line is comprised of eight shoe styles, including men’s sneakers and women’s heels, as well as handbags and a bracelet. The collection features styles detailed with Strelitzia reginae — “Mandela’s Gold” —  a beautiful plant that has come to symbolize empathy, hope and freedom.

In addition, each product includes the statement “Walk A Mile In My Shoes,” in a Louboutin red script motif.

The line was inspired by a visit Idris made to the Martin Luther King Jr memorial in L.A., and it is meant as a call to action to support the victims of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States, small farmers and their children in Somalia, disconnected underserved youth in England and orphaned children and young girls in Sierra Leone, according to the trio.

The organizations supported by the collaboration are all includes: relief charity Be Rose that supports vulnerable people in need of emergency assistance; Purposeful, Sierra Leone-based grassroots organization that provides mentorship for girls; The Immediate Theatre in East London; The Somali Hope Foundation, which provides access to education for underprivileged children; and Gathering for Justice, whose mission is to end child incarceration.

To celebrate the launch, Christian Louboutin has teamed up with DJ D-Nice, who will be dedicating a special edition of his “Club Quarantine” IG Live DJ set to the Walk a Mile in My Shoes collaboration on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Here, D-Nice talks exclusively to FN about his involvement with the project.

How did you meet Christian Louboutin and Idris and Sabrina Elba?   

“I first met Idris nearly two decades ago at a club called Katra in New York City. I was honored to be asked to DJ their wedding in Marrakech a few years back which is when he introduced me to Sabrina. Although I’ve had a relationship with the Louboutin brand for many years, I didn’t have the pleasure to meet Christian until The Elba’s wedding ceremony.”

As an influential person, how important is it for you to use your platform to inspire change?

“I have always felt that it was important to use the platforms that we have been given to do-good. Whether that’s raising awareness of a cause close to your heart, highlighting good things happening in the world, or just spreading love and positive vibrations.”

How effective is social media as a call for action?

“I am a big believer that this next generation will help lead some real change in this world to create a better world for my daughters and eventually my grandkids. They find their information on social media platforms so the more we can use them to help lift up our communities and amplify voices who are moving the cause forward the better.”

As someone who continually united the public during hardships last year, why do you think people connected with you and Club Quarantine?

“Club Quarantine created a safe space for people to interact and spread joy during a time when everything we were experiencing was the opposite. People were isolated and scared. Club Quarantine provided a community for people to come together and spread positivity and ultimately hope.”

Where do you go from here?

“Now that the world is opening up, I am excited to bring this CQ community that was created from behind a screen to live and in-person. I have partnered with Live Nation Urban and will be performing Club Quarantine Live sets with special guests all over the U.S., first stop…Hollywood Bowl on Aug 29th. Music will always be a uniting force so I am glad to be able to bring it back to live audiences.”