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CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN CELEBRATES EXHIBITION OF ARTIST CARMELO TEDESCHI

Carmelo Tedeschi, Art-mosphere
Carmelo Tedeschi, Art-mosphere

Christian Louboutin, in collaboration with Xavier Laboulbenne, celebrated an exhibition of recent works by Carmelo Tedeschi, which will be on display at the company’s Miami Design District boutique during Art Basel.

Born in 1973, in Enna, Italy, from an ancestral family of artisans, Carmelo Tedeschi studied at the Academia di Bella Arti in Rome, the Royal College of Art in Antwerp and the Fondazione Ratti in Cuomo with Allan Kaprow.  He lives between Berlin and Fez.

Tedeschi is known best as the creator of one-of-a-kind accessories for Martin Margiela under the name “Line-0,” as well as for Kenzo, Gianfranco Ferre, and Acne. He has developed a remarkable knowledge of his craft and, through his immersion within Berlin’s legendary fetish sub-culture, an inventive approach to materials. Rei Kawakubo presented an exhibition of his design work last fall at Comme des Garcons in Dover Street Market, London. In April 2014, The Daimler Collection in Berlin will present an extensive exhibition of his work juxtaposed to Gio Ponti’s and Luca Trevisani’s.

On exhibit at Christian Louboutin’s Miami Design District boutique is a series of five free standing sculptures made of vegetable tanned leather carved and hand stitched.  As the titles indicate, this work was inspired by “Rocaille”, a French stylistic movement in the early XVIII to introduce variety in architecture and decorative art through motives of schell and foliage.  Reinterpreted in the 30’s and 40’s, the influence of this decorative style can be found in the vernacular architecture of Miami Art Deco’s buildings.  But the secret of the rocaille is in its contour, it is a melodic contour.  The essence of the style is that these curves shall never be continuous for more than a short distance, nor make more than one double curve like the letter S, without breaking off to begin again abruptly.

The sculptures are made with an exceptional leather found in Italy.  This remarkable material uses tannins and other ingredients found in different vegetable matter and presents unique, recognizable and natural characteristics while respecting the environment.  It is the only form of leather suitable for use in leather carving, historically, this technique was used to make armor after hardening. In the work of Carmelo Tedeschi, a sense of primitivism emanates from the use of organic material carved only with human skills, while the luxuriousness of the texture alludes to an affirmative type of interaction with nature.

The Christian Louboutin boutique in Miami’s Design District is a space where art, design and fashion seamlessly merge to create a vibrant shopping experience. This year’s exhibit follows a trilogy of installations by Dutch artist Madeleine Berkhemer, which enchanted visitors annually since the boutique’s opening in 2009, as well as the solo exhibition of artist Ye Hongxing in 2012, entitled “A Dazzling Future”. The Carmelo Tedeschi exhibition will run from December 5, 2013 – end of January 2014. Visit xavierlaboulbenne.com for more information.

Opposite from the Women’s store is the newly opened Men’s Boutique, launched in September 2013. Flanked by a steel logo panel which extends out onto the sidewalk and allows in natural sunlight, the entrance opens to a front gallery where visitors find ornately patterned floors, double high ceilings and walls adorned with herringbone patterned stone tiles. Mirroring the women’s “box within a box” concept, the interior room encases an intimate area, filled with the latest collection, surrounded by ochre diamond-paneled leather walls, hand-embroidered with shoe patterns from Louboutin’s own designs.

In the back area of the boutique lies the “Tattoo Parlor,” where shoppers are invited to add a unique or personalized touch to their favorite pair of Louboutins. Choosing from personal tattoos or one of Louboutin’s designs, customers can have a tattoo expertly translated into bespoke embroideries on one of five styles for men and four styles for women.

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