Latest news with #NinaChristen
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Those Ugly Shoes? She'll Make You Love Them.
Back in late 2018, a lifetime ago in fashion, a radical shift happened in footwear. Square-toed clunkers — sandals defined by exaggerated, spatula-like soles that jutted out from under the foot and pumps with bulbous stubbed toes — were shown in Daniel Lee's first collection for Bottega Veneta. At first sight, the shoes were hideous. Within months, they were on the feet of nearly every celebrity, editor, influencer and luxury V.I.C. in the land. Retailers like Vince Camuto and Shein promptly issued dupes of the popular Lido sandal, a simple slide in a blown-up interpretation of Bottega's signature intrecciato woven leather. Lyst declared them the 'hottest shoes in the world' in 2019. 'It's funny what you can make people wear in fashion if it's done the right way,' said Nina Christen, the Swiss shoe designer responsible for the Lido. Ms. Christen's distinctive touch has quite literally been all over some of the most influential shoe design trickling down from luxury houses for the better part of the last decade. She has worked for Phoebe Philo at Celine, Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen at the Row and Mr. Lee at Bottega Veneta. Last month, Mr. Anderson hired Ms. Christen as the design director of shoes at Christian Dior. It's one of the biggest jobs in fashion right now, and she is balancing it with a moonlighting gig, too. Last year, Ms. Christen introduced Christen, her own independent shoe brand. The first pure expression of her design identity came partly out of frustration. The shoes she designed for other brands were her taste, her take, she said, 'but they were never 100 percent myself.' Opportunity arose when she met Paul Dupuy, an entrepreneur and a founder of Zoi, a health-tech company in the longevity space. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fashion Network
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Anderson brings Nina Christen on board as Dior shoe designer
British designer Jonathan Anderson continues to build his team at Dior and his latest appointment in Nina Christen who previously worked with him at Loewe. The highly respected footwear designer was the creative force behind behind the viral Loewe Balloon pumps so we could be in line for the kind of buzz around Dior's shoe designs similar to what was seen with its J'Adior slingbacks and Fusion sneakers. The designer also has her own Christen label and has worked for fashion brands including The Row, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. As mentioned, she was head of footwear design at Loewe with a style that perfectly suited Anderson's eccentric vision. But as the variety of labels she's worked on shows she's versatile and can adapt her style to a brand's particular profile. The key theme running throughout though is that her shoes stand out and frequently become cult classics — her much-copied Chelsea Boots during Hedi Slimane 's tenure at Saint Laurent are a prime example, as are Bottega Veneta's Puddle Boots and the less divisive Lido Sandals. Christen, who launched her own eponymous label late last year, stepped into her new Dior role this month, so we may not see any significant Christen-helmed designs until next year. There's been no official announcement of her appointment but on Instagram the Zurich-based designer said: 'Incredibly excited to support Jonathan Anderson in this new chapter at Dior.'
Fashion Network
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Anderson brings Nina Christen on board as Dior shoe designer
British designer Jonathan Anderson continues to build his team at Dior and his latest appointment in Nina Christen who previously worked with him at Loewe. The highly respected footwear designer was the creative force behind behind the viral Loewe Balloon pumps so we could be in line for the kind of buzz around Dior's shoe designs similar to what was seen with its J'Adior slingbacks and Fusion sneakers. The designer also has her own Christen label and has worked for fashion brands including The Row, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. As mentioned, she was head of footwear design at Loewe with a style that perfectly suited Anderson's eccentric vision. But as the variety of labels she's worked on shows she's versatile and can adapt her style to a brand's particular profile. The key theme running throughout though is that her shoes stand out and frequently become cult classics — her much-copied Chelsea Boots during Hedi Slimane 's tenure at Saint Laurent are a prime example, as are Bottega Veneta's Puddle Boots and the less divisive Lido Sandals. Christen, who launched her own eponymous label late last year, stepped into her new Dior role this month, so we may not see any significant Christen-helmed designs until next year. There's been no official announcement of her appointment but on Instagram the Zurich-based designer said: 'Incredibly excited to support Jonathan Anderson in this new chapter at Dior.'
Fashion Network
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Anderson brings Nina Christen on board as Dior shoe designer
British designer Jonathan Anderson continues to build his team at Dior and his latest appointment in Nina Christen who previously worked with him at Loewe. The highly respected footwear designer was the creative force behind behind the viral Loewe Balloon pumps so we could be in line for the kind of buzz around Dior's shoe designs similar to what was seen with its J'Adior slingbacks and Fusion sneakers. The designer also has her own Christen label and has worked for fashion brands including The Row, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. As mentioned, she was head of footwear design at Loewe with a style that perfectly suited Anderson's eccentric vision. But as the variety of labels she's worked on shows she's versatile and can adapt her style to a brand's particular profile. The key theme running throughout though is that her shoes stand out and frequently become cult classics — her much-copied Chelsea Boots during Hedi Slimane 's tenure at Saint Laurent are a prime example, as are Bottega Veneta's Puddle Boots and the less divisive Lido Sandals. Christen, who launched her own eponymous label late last year, stepped into her new Dior role this month, so we may not see any significant Christen-helmed designs until next year. There's been no official announcement of her appointment but on Instagram the Zurich-based designer said: 'Incredibly excited to support Jonathan Anderson in this new chapter at Dior.'
Grazia USA
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Grazia USA
If You Like Loewe's Balloon Pumps, You'll Love The Shoes At Jonathan Anderson's Dior
Nina Christen is named the new design director of shoes at Dior, joining Jonathan Anderson's creative team (Photo: Instagram / ninachristen_) The buzz around Jonathan Anderson's Dior debut just keeps getting bigger. The latest news to come out of Paris is that Nina Christen, a shoe designer who has worked for fashion brands like The Row, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, has joined Anderson's creative team at the house of Dior. Christen and Anderson have worked together before—at Loewe, where Christen served as head of footwear design and created quirky shoes to go with Anderson's equally eccentric collections for the Spanish luxury brand. Christen's designs include the Comic Foam Pumps and the Balloon Pumps, which was introduced in Loewe's Spring/Summer 2023 collection and soon went viral. The designer has other footwear hits under her belt. Following an internship at Balenciaga, then helmed by Nicolas Ghesquière, the Chilean-Swiss designer worked on shoes for Saint Laurent, during both Stefano Pilati's and Hedi Slimane's tenures. The latter era produced Saint Laurent's signature Chelsea boots and other shoes that became cult classics among Hedi boys (and girls), and which were widely copied by other fashion brands. The Balloon Pumps went viral soon after they were unveiled at the Loewe Spring/Summer 2023 show (Photo: Loewe) Christen went on to design covetable Chelsea boots for Phoebe Philo's Céline, where she met Daniel Lee. After that, she spent three years at Bottega Veneta during Lee's tenure, where she designed the woven Lido sandals—worn and loved by the likes of Rihanna, Margot Robbie and Hailey Bieber—and the divisive Puddle Boot, which is now a must-have for Bottega Veneta collectors. That already reads like the most impressive resume that a shoe designer can have, but Christen also added The Row to hers in 2023, when she joined Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's luxury fashion brand as shoe designer director. In late 2024, Christen also marked another milestone when she launched her eponymous shoe label, Christen. At Bottega Veneta, Christen designed the Lido sandals… (Photo: Instagram / ninachristen_) Still, Christen's designs for Dior will likely be her most impactful creations yet. The 40-year-old only started her role as Dior's design director of shoes in June 2025, so we probably won't see any fun footwear at the Dior Men Spring/Summer 2026 show that will be presented at Paris Fashion Week. But we are keeping our eyes peeled, and so are fashion insiders. A comment on Christen's Instagram post announcing her new Dior gig reads: 'I haven't bought a pair of Dior shoes since Raf was there, but now I'm SO EXCITED'. Ahead, have a glimpse at the Dior debut collection by Jonathan Anderson. This story originally appeared on GRAZIA Singapore . topics: featured, Loewe, DIOR, FASHION, Jonathan Anderson, Nina Christen
