Charles Jourdan

Charles Jourdan began his career in the early 1920s in France. He was lucky enough to have great shoe craftsmanship and a very skilled business sense, so he decided to mix high fashion shoes with affordable ready-to-wear style. His goal was not to be edgy and trend-setting, but to translate the beauty of luxurious classy couture shoes into wearable pieces, and he succeeded. All the while he was establishing his name in the shoe industry all over the world, at one point designing shoe models for the House of Christian Dior. The line's focus was on feminine, luxurious high heel shoes in classic colors, creating go-to designs for black tie events. In the 1980s the family control over the business ended when Ronald Jourdan – Charles’ son – retired. Since then, other lines have been created, selling more fun and youthful types of shoes, including flats and sandals. To this day though, Charles Jordan is a staple of ready to wear haute couture shoes.