Shoe retailer Footcandy has teamed up with the red hot designer Christian Louboutin to raise money for Asian elephants. Louboutin agreed to make 50 pairs of zipper-wrapped & strapped Rodita sandals in hot pink (instead of the original black) exclusively for Footcandy. All proceeds will go to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) in Thailand.
The answer to the question on every fashionable philanthropist's mind is YES. Yes, yes, of course they have Louboutin's signature red sole.
So what is the story behind this venture, you ask? I called their St. Helena store hoping I might reach the owner Carolyn Butler to inquire. When she wasn't available, her perky salesperson Brenda was more than happy to explain. In 2006, Carolyn and her husband Perry fell in love with elephants on a trip to the Four Seasons Tented Camp, where it seems their hearts were cracked open by the terrible sadness of how elephants are mistreated in Thailand. I can only imagine, as I have not been to visit the Thai elephant conservationist groups yet, though I have a deep longing to go. It looks profoundly sad, as there is much rescue work to be done there. Carolyn and Perry saw it first hand and were moved to assist through cross-promoting with their shoe & vineyard businesses. [Click here for more of the Butler's story on the GTAEF site.]
The joint venture with Christian Louboutin isn't Carolyn's first footwear promotion for elephants. Her employee explained that she first did one with Cassidy, then another elephant shoe with Manolo Blahnik (shown at right.) I'm not a Manolo devotee anyway, but I'm somewhat taken aback at his choice to create a faux leopard shoe for a conservationist cause. It's an interesting debate amongst us animal lovers as to whether faux endangered species fur items are a compliment to nature's beautiful designs or if they perpetuate the dark history of adorning ourselves with living creatures to the point of extinction. My personal stance is that if it's clear that it's not real, but more of an homage to the animal, then it's okay. These pony-haired Manolo's are borderline for me. Carolyn, if you're reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this over a glass of wine sometime!
Footcandy is a charming store in Napa Valley. Being a West Sonoma County girl now, I haven't been by that shop in ages, but trust me, it's fabulous. And now it seems that Footcandy has four locations in California, as well as an on-line store.
I'm so very tempted right now. Those sandals would look so good with the little black dress I got recently. They even have a couple of pairs left in my size (9.5) Oh, but it IS for such a good cause and what a fun conversation starter! I would love to tell the story of those shoes while wearing them!
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