Christian Louboutin to design rugby-inspired shoes

Christian Louboutin is designing a shoe range inspired by gay Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas.

The legendary footwear maker is close friends with the sportsman - who came out in 2009 - and the pair reportedly met for lunch in Cardiff last month to discuss the new collection, which will be called 'Alfie', Gareth's nickname.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Christian is working on a casual shoe range, with Gareth as the main inspiration. He's really chuffed about it."

While Christian has a popular menswear line and last year designed a range of sneakers with DJ Swizz Beatz, he is more famous for his high-heeled designs - which are a favourite among a host of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss.

He has previously revealed he measures how good his shoes are by what they look like on a naked woman.

He said: "The ultimate must still look good when a woman is naked. The design that encapsulates my career is the Pigalle, a low-cut, high-heeled pump. It's so subtle in that it adds something sexy to the body, but you don't immediately realise that it's the shoe that is making the difference."