Famed French shoe brand Christian Louboutin has released a limited-edition collection with Marvel Comics, which is drawing ire from some in the social media universe.
Created as part of the year-long celebration of a century of Disney – which has owned Marvel since 2009 – the collection consists of shoes and accessories for men, women and children, all designed around themes lifted from Marvel comics.
Infinity Stones appear as colourful crystals on the heels of men's and women's styles, including the gleaming blue Cosmic Boot, priced from $2,295 (Dh8,296), and the see-through Imperious Rex sandal, priced at $1,495 (Dh5,490).
Elsewhere, the black and silver costume of Marvel’s Moon Knight character appears as the men's ankle boot Vibrano, for $1,795 (Dh6,592), with a prominent Marvel tag at the back.
Social media backlash
When TikTok user and self-confessed Louboutin fan @redbottombestie did a live unboxing of a pair of the stone-studded Imperious Rex shoes for his followers, many of them were decidedly unimpressed and voiced their displeasure at a perceived lack of elegance.
“I love Louboutin. I love Marvel. Why are these so tacky?" wrote one user, while another compared the collection to flea market finds, and a third commented on the hypocrisy of fashion, saying: “This is one of those 'what’s tacky when you’re poor, but cool when you’re rich' kind of things.”
Social media is a powerful platform for free speech, where everyone can express their opinion; however, it can also be a place where participants fail to see the full picture.
Having fun with footwear
Since launching in 1992, Christian Louboutin has been consistent with two things: The famous red sole of its shoes and a merry disregard for what others think.
The man behind the eponymous label is famous for his sense of playful whimsy and takes his inspiration from almost anything – from the artisans of Bhutan to travels around Brazil and Havana. His shoes are about having fun and about self-expression, and this tie-up is the latest round of his thinking.
As a lifelong fan of Marvel, the designer presumably leapt at the opportunity. Alongside the release of the shoes, there is a limited-edition comic, starring none other than Louboutin himself. Reimagined as an Egyptian archaeologist – in a nod to his own North African roots – he gets to star in his own adventures.
“Who never dreamt of becoming a superhero, really? And I’m lucky enough to be turning into one with none other than Marvel,” Louboutin said of the collaboration.
“I’ve always been fascinated by very visual stories, with lots of mysteries and action. As a child, I had a deep passion for Egyptian gods and pharaohs, but as a teenager, I found that expression through Marvel characters,” he said.
Louboutin's character is a faithful portrait, although lacking the bulging muscles so often seen on superheroes. “I like the fact they didn’t try to picture me as a strong and muscular character, but went deeper in the understanding of my universe,” he said.
Rather than dress him up in a fancy costume, Marvel have instead portrayed Louboutin in his ever-present hat, and with a garland of Infinity Stones around his neck.
“They went into the power of creativity and imagination, [and portrayed me as] someone who makes individuals dream and empowers them. When one manages to make people dream and inspire passion in them, it’s as much a superpower as it is an honour,” he said.
And perhaps this is the point of the collaboration – to make people dream. While critics deride the collection as brash, perhaps Louboutin just wanted to have a bit of fun. His track record certainly suggests as much.
Some detractors also commented that it is perhaps a little vulgar to release such high-priced shoes when so many are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.
However, the world of high-end fashion has never paid much heed to such worries. As the saying goes, the rich are always rich.
The famous red-soled Louboutin has always been about forgetting the stress of everyday life, and these Marvel shoes fit with this thinking perfectly. Many a woman saves for months to buy a pair of Louboutins that will make her feel like a princess when she wears them, making this collection no different. Except this time, she can perhaps save the world, too.
From Maleficent to the Muppets
This is not Louboutin's first tie-up with Marvel's parent company Disney, either. In 1997, he created shoes to accompany the release of the film 101 Dalmatians, for its star Glenn Close; and in 2012, he reworked Cinderella's glass slipper.
There have also been projects with the Star Wars franchise and the film Maleficent, as well as for the Muppets' Miss Piggy.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
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Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.