Jimmy Choo vs Louboutin vs Manolo Blahnik: Who Made What, and Which to Buy
Jimmy Choo vs Louboutin vs Manolo Blahnik: Who Made What, and Which to Buy
Jimmy Choo vs Louboutin comes down to origin and signature: Jimmy Choo is a London house founded in 1996, known for the pointed Love pump and heel heights written into its style names, while Christian Louboutin is a Paris label, opened in 1991, known for the red lacquered sole. Manolo Blahnik, the third name in the conversation, is a Canary Islands-born designer who has made shoes in London since the early 1970s and is known for the slim stiletto. Of the three, Coveti stocks Jimmy Choo, on the Jimmy Choo brand page and in our designer heels edit; for another angle, see our Amina Muaddi vs Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Aquazzura comparison.
Key Facts
- Jimmy Choo: founded in London in May 1996 by Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon; owned by Capri Holdings since 2017.
- Christian Louboutin: born in Paris on 7 January 1964; opened his Paris shoe salon in 1991.
- Manolo Blahnik: born on 27 November 1942 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands.
- Louboutin’s red sole began in the early 1990s with an assistant’s red nail polish.
- Jimmy Choo’s Love pump comes at 65, 85 and 100 mm on Coveti.
Jimmy Choo vs Louboutin vs Manolo Blahnik at a glance
| Jimmy Choo | Christian Louboutin | Manolo Blahnik | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | May 1996, by Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon | 1991, Paris shoe salon | Shoes from 1971; he later bought the Zapata shoe company |
| Home city | London | Paris | London (flagship on Old Church Street, Chelsea) |
| Founder | Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon; Sandra Choi creative director since 2013 | Christian Louboutin | Manolo Blahnik |
| Signature | The Love pump, many with the JC emblem | The red sole | The Hangisi, with its crystal buckle |
| Heel signature | Height in the name: Love 85 = 85 mm | Red lacquered underside | The slim stiletto he revived in the 1970s |
| Screen moment | “I lost my Choo!” in Sex and the City, season 3 | None we cite | Blue satin Hangisi in the 2008 Sex and the City film |
We have left sizing out of the table on purpose. Jimmy Choo uses Italian sizing, which matches the EU scale, and our Jimmy Choo size guide has the full conversion. We have not found a reliable published source on how Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik sizes compare, so we will not guess.
Jimmy Choo: the London house with heights in the name
Jimmy Choo the man, Choo Yeang Keat, was born in Penang, Malaysia, in 1948 and trained at Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney. He opened his first shop in East London in 1986. The ready-to-wear house came in 1996, when he founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with Tamara Mellon, then accessories editor at British Vogue. He sold his stake in 2001, and Sandra Choi has been sole creative director since 2013. Capri Holdings has owned the house since 1 November 2017.
The house signature is the Love, a pointed pump that often carries the JC emblem at the heel. The Love 85 Pumps in black patent leather are the reference pair, and the Love 100 Pumps in black patent take the same shape higher. Most Jimmy Choo shoes are made in Italy: 363 of the 437 on Coveti that state a country.
What Jimmy Choo does best
Crystal and evening work. The Saeda 100 Pumps in ivory and crystal satin carry a crystal chain, and the Azia 95 Pumps in ivory and crystal satin are a square-toe evening pump. Coveti stocks 131 Jimmy Choo heels and 125 sandals, so the range is wide at every height.
Christian Louboutin: the red sole
Christian Louboutin was born in Paris on 7 January 1964 and grew up in the 12th arrondissement. He opened a Paris shoe salon in 1991, in the Galerie Vero-Dodat, a covered passage in the 1st arrondissement, and the house is still based in Paris.
The red sole came soon after. In the early 1990s, he used an assistant’s red nail polish to paint red onto a pair with black soles, and the colour stayed. Louboutin has defended it in court: in September 2012 a US court ruled that he keeps the exclusive right to a red sole when the rest of the shoe is a different colour, and in June 2018 the European Court of Justice ruled that a colour trademark placed on a sole could be valid. Among his long-running pumps is the Pigalle, and the Kate, designed in 2012, reworked it.
How it differs from Jimmy Choo
Louboutin’s signature lives underneath the shoe. Jimmy Choo’s lives in the shape and the name. If you love a red shoe, Jimmy Choo puts the colour on the upper: the Brigitte 100 Pumps in ruby red patent and the Faya 95 Slingbacks in ruby red satin are two examples.
Manolo Blahnik: the stiletto revival
Manolo Blahnik was born on 27 November 1942 in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands. In 1969 Diana Vreeland told him to make shoes, and in 1971 Ossie Clark asked him to design shoes for a runway show. With a GBP 2,000 loan he bought the Zapata shoe company and opened his own boutique. His flagship is still on Old Church Street in Chelsea, London. His first American collection sold through Bloomingdale’s in 1978, and his first US boutique opened in 1979.
He is credited with reviving the slim stiletto in the 1970s. The CFDA honoured him in 1987, 1990 and 1997. His best-known shoe today is the Hangisi, a crystal-buckled pump first made for spring summer 2008; the blue satin pair is the shoe Mr Big uses to propose to Carrie in the 2008 Sex and the City film.
How it differs from Jimmy Choo
Both labels are rooted in London, and both have a Sex and the City moment. The difference is in who holds the pen. Jimmy Choo’s founder left the business in 2001, and the house has been designed by Sandra Choi since 2013, with bags, sunglasses and jewellery beside the shoes. Manolo Blahnik’s label is built on the slim stiletto its founder made famous.
Which should you buy?
- For a first luxury pump with clear sizing: Jimmy Choo. The heel is in the name, the sizes map cleanly from EU to UK and US, and the Love comes in three heights.
- For a recognisable sole: Louboutin. The red underside is the point.
- For a slim, low-key stiletto: Manolo Blahnik.
- For a whole wardrobe from one house: Jimmy Choo, which Coveti stocks across 860 pieces, from heels to Bon Bon bags. See our Jimmy Choo pumps guide to start.
Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik are not stocked at Coveti. For other houses we carry, look at Amina Muaddi and Saint Laurent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Jimmy Choo and Louboutin?
Jimmy Choo is a London house founded in 1996 and known for the pointed Love pump, with heel heights written into its style names. Christian Louboutin is a Paris label opened in 1991 and known for its red lacquered sole.
Is Jimmy Choo older than Louboutin?
No. Christian Louboutin opened his Paris salon in 1991, and Jimmy Choo Ltd was founded in London in 1996. Jimmy Choo himself, though, had a shoe shop in East London from 1986.
Why do Louboutin shoes have red soles?
In the early 1990s Christian Louboutin used an assistant’s red nail polish to paint red onto a pair with black soles, and the red sole became his signature. Courts in the US in 2012 and the EU in 2018 have ruled in favour of protecting it in certain cases.
Which Manolo Blahnik shoe was in Sex and the City?
The blue satin Hangisi, a crystal-buckled pump, is the shoe Mr Big uses to propose to Carrie in the 2008 Sex and the City film. Jimmy Choo has its own moment in the series, when Carrie says “I lost my Choo!” in season 3.
Does Coveti sell Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik?
No. Coveti stocks Jimmy Choo, with 453 pairs of shoes across heels, sandals, boots, flats, sneakers, mules and loafers, but does not carry Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik.
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