Christian Louboutin is the mastermind behind these iconic red-bottomed shoes.

Christian Louboutin 是經典紅底鞋背後的靈魂人物 。

It's safe to say his footwear has stepped into the mainstream; celebrities all over the world wear them.

可以肯定的是，他設計的鞋履已經踏入主流時尚圈，世界各地名人都會穿它。

"You know the ones with the high heels and the red bottoms?"

「你知道那雙有紅底的高跟鞋嗎？」

♪ These expensive, these is red bottoms ♪

♪ 這些貴到爆炸、紅色鞋底的高跟鞋♪

♪ These is bloody shoes ♪

♪ 天殺的紅底鞋♪

Louboutin even had the red bottoms trademarked.

Louboutin 甚至以紅色鞋底作為註冊商標。

The signature Louboutin pumps, start at $695; the most expensive pair, nearly $6,000.

知名的 Louboutin 紅底鞋一開始定價為 695 美元，最貴的一雙要價將近 6,000 美元。

So how did this craze start?

到底這股風潮是從何開始的呢？

Christian Louboutin had the idea for red soles in 1993: an employee was painting her nails red. Louboutin snagged the bottle and painted the soles of a prototype shoe. Just like that, the red soles were born.

1993 年時，Christian Louboutin 有了紅色鞋底的點子，當時有一位員工在塗紅色指甲油，Louboutin 把指甲油的瓶子打破，紅色顏料沾到原型鞋的鞋底，而紅底鞋就這樣誕生了。

So, what makes these shoes worth the cost?

那麼，究竟是什麼讓這些鞋子價值連城呢？

In 2013, when the New York Times asked Louboutin, why his shoes are so expensive, he blamed production costs.

2013 年，《紐約時報》問 Louboutin 他的鞋子為什麼這麼貴時，他怪罪於生產成本。

Louboutin said, "It's expensive to make shoes in Europe." From 2008 to 2013, he said his company's production costs had doubled as the euro strengthened against the dollar, and competition increased for quality materials from factories in Asia.

Louboutin 說：「在歐洲製造鞋子太貴了。」從 2008 年到 2013 年，他表示公司的生產成本因為歐元對美元升值，幾乎成長了兩倍，而且亞洲工廠高品質材料的競爭也越來越激烈。

David Mesquita, the co-owner of Leather Spa, says craftsmanship also plays a part in the shoes' high price tag.

Leather Spa 的共同擁有人 David Mesquita 說工匠技藝也是造成鞋子定價高昂的原因。

His company works directly with Louboutin to repair its shoes, repainting and replacing the red soles.

他的公司和 Louboutin 直接合作提供維修鞋子、為紅底重新上色，或更換紅底的服務。

I mean there's a lot of things that go into the design of a shoe, and the making of a shoe.

我認為一雙鞋子的設計以及製造過程本來就很繁瑣。

Most importantly, I think is, who's designing it, who's manufacturing it, and also what materials they're using to make the shoes.

最重要的是，我覺得設計者、製造者，以及什麼樣的原料被用來製作鞋子才是關鍵。

You know, whether you're talking about feathers, rhinestones, or exotic materials, you know, there's so much attention to detail that they put into their manufacturing and designing of their shoes.

無論是用羽毛、水鑽或是異國風材料，有許多細節讓他們投注不少心力在製作過程和設計鞋履的過程中。

For instance, these $3,595 Louboutins are embellished with Swarovski Crystals, and these raccoon fur boots cost $1,995; when it all comes down to it, people are paying for the status symbol.

例如，這雙價值 3595 美元的 Louboutins 表面鑲滿了施華洛世奇水鑽，而這雙浣熊毛靴則要價 1995 美元；總結一句，人們是在花錢買身分、地位象徵。

Producer Spencer Alben bought a pair of Louboutins for her wedding.

製作人 Spencer Alben 就為了她的婚禮購入一雙 Louboutins 紅底鞋。

It makes me sound so stuck up, but I love the red soles because it's such like a fashion icon symbol.

雖然這讓我聽起來很高傲，但我真的很愛紅底鞋，因為它是經典時尚的代表。

There's something about them that when you see them in a picture, you instantly know what those are. So it's like a status symbol I guess, which makes me sound terrible.

它們特別到，當你在照片中看到這雙鞋時，馬上就知道它們是何方神聖，我猜這有點像是一個地位象徵，雖然這樣聽起來我好糟糕。

They were over $1,000, which when I say that now, is insane for one pair of shoes that you're probably never gonna wear again.

這雙鞋超過 1000 美元，如果是現在的我會說，花這個錢買一雙以後也不太可能穿得到的鞋真的是瘋了。

It's like something that everyone knows, so the second you see the red bottoms, it's like, I know what those are, I know what those cost.

幾乎每個人都知道紅底鞋，看到它立刻就認得出來，也知道它們要價不斐。

And it's so superficial that we care about that, but it really is something that is like, universal.

我們會在乎這種事真的很膚淺，但這真的是很普遍的現象。

You see that and you instantly know what those are, and it's something special.

你一看到就能馬上認出來這雙鞋，這真的很特別。

So I think, something as silly as the color of the sole on the shoe, makes them so special, because it's universally identifiable.

所以我覺得雖然很瞎，光憑鞋底的顏色就讓它們如此與眾不同，但因為它們的能辨度實在太普及了。

Would you drop 1000 dollars for red-bottomed shoes?

如果是你會願意砸 1000 美元買紅底鞋嗎？