Exclusive: Fashionistas, this luxury shoe brand’s second U.S. outlet coming to Sawgrass Mills

Sawgrass Mills is getting even fancier on us, landing a global brand that seems like an ideal fit for celeb-magnet South Florida.

Christian Louboutin is opening its only outlet shoe store in Florida — and only the second nationwide — at The Colonnade Outlets at the Sunrise mall. Known for its signature red-soled heels and four-figure price tags, Louboutin will join 70 other tony brands at the shopping center’s luxury wing at 1800 Sawgrass Mills Circle.

The opening date for the store, next to women’s designer clothier Tory Burch, is set for this summer, so start booking that pedicure.

While details now are scarce about what shoppers can expect on the shelves at this 2,720-square-foot Louboutin outlet, know that merchandise likely will include the French designer’s high heels with the flashy lacquered bottoms. It’s unclear if the cosmetics, jewelry, handbags and men and women’s clothing, among other items, shoppers can browse at the brand’s regular store in Miami’s Design District will be available at the outlet.

As for Louboutin outlet pricing, Sawgrass general manager David Gott referred those questions to the Louboutin chain, and officials there couldn’t immediately be reached. It’s safe to assume the prices on single pairs of shoes could make certain shoppers do a double take.

“It’s quite a name and quite a following, so we’re expecting it to do well,” Gott said of the luxury shoe brand. “It’s simply a reaffirmation that Colonnade offers the best selection in really all of the Southeast.”

The only other Louboutin outlet in the United States is in California at Desert Hills Premium Outlets near Palm Springs. According to a retail blog called The Luxury Lowdown, shoe prices at the Desert Hills outlet in September 2020 mostly were between $500 and $800 a pair.

Louboutin, 58, whose delectable designs were often donned by fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City,” isn’t known for his reasonable prices. A current hot style, “the exquisitely elegant” Just Queen sandal, for example, will run you a cool $1,295. The brand sells over a million pairs of shoes a year in 150 stores in more than 30 countries.

But at the upcoming Sawgrass outlet, you should see more wallet-friendly price tags. The sprawling Broward mall houses 400-plus retailers, including such internationally recognized, high-end brand names as Balenciaga, Armani, Prada, Gucci, Balmain, Furla and Karl Lagerfeld. There, you can often find the fashions you see on the pages of Vogue for a fraction of the retail cost.

Open for 33 years, the alligator-shaped Sawgrass mall has long been a destination for local and international shoppers.

New retail tenants like Louboutin are expected to boost the mall’s appeal, Gott said, especially at a time when economic uncertainty threatens a slowdown at South Florida shopping destinations.

“The strong dollar doesn’t help when you’re an international tourist group destination,” the Sawgrass manager said. “Adding new retailers keeps us fresh. I am incredibly bullish on 2023.”