Christian Louboutin is proud he has not been "beaten" by "the giants of luxury".
The shoe designer - who is to be the focus of an exhibition at London's Design Museum - is delighted he has managed to maintain independence for his label and continue to run it in exactly the way he has wanted for the last two decades.
He told Attitude magazine: "I've not been eaten and beaten by the giants of luxury.
"I started the company 20 years ago with two of my best friends and I always heard the working with friends is, in general, a disaster, but it's been very much the opposite..
"I'm very happy to have kept the relationship with the two people who started the company with me."
However, Christian admits he can be a struggle to work with because he is reluctant to let things go.
He added: "Mostly what I hear is that I'm very positive, optimistic and enthusiastic.
"I have too much energy. The negative thing is that I never let things go."
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