When he was a teenager, Christian Louboutin fell in love with India from watching films at a cinema near his home in Paris. He made his first trip at 16 years old, and ever since, he has maintained what he describes as a “lifelong love affair” with the country, the culture and the people.
Now, he has infused his passion into a new exhibition, “Textile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France,” at the Mobilier National in Paris, overseeing the art direction and collaborating with guest curator Manyank Mansingh Kaul.
Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tissées entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situLégende et crédits: Cape taillée dans un châle brodé main d’origine indienne- Collection du MAD ©Sophia Taillet.jpg
“When you go to India, you see so many things of really beautiful quality and beautiful colors everywhere,” Louboutin said during a preview. “So even if certain techniques no longer exist, there is still so much [that continues], and it’s interesting to compare countries. India still has incredible craft, and that’s partly because there are people fighting for it.”
His sense for flair and flamboyance adds to an already sumptuous theme. Think: an anti-chamber in which every inch of surface is fully paneled in hand-drawn, hand-printed fabric—antique furniture, classical statues, logs in a fireplace, magnolia flowers strewn on a table, even a candle flame—by artisans from the House of Kandadu. Consider the section titled “Indian Chic” where mannequins outfitted in a number of designer gowns and saris are positioned in runway formation and surrounded by Rithika Merchant’s wall-to-wall tapestries from the Dior spring 2026 haute couture show.