We can all spot a pair of Louboutins (or attempted fakes) by their trademark crimson-red sole. Now, Christian Louboutin is suing renowned French label Yves Saint Laurent over infringement of this trademark. Certain models of Saint Laurent's Tribute, Palais and Woodstock styles feature a red sole similar to that of Louboutin's and have been sold at Barneys, Bergdorf's, Saks and Nordstrom since January. Apparently, Louboutin requested that Yves Saint Laurent stop selling these styles. A spokeswoman for Saint Laurent declined to comment.
I understand why Louboutin is upset about the apparent "trademark infringement," but honestly, it's more a hissy fit. I think Louboutin is a little obsessed with maintaining the integrity of his label — he has his own website dedicated to preventing the sale of knockoff versions of his shoes (yeah, I understand that knockoffs are a cheap alternative to a piece of art and design someone has put their utmost effort into, but is Louboutin in serious need of revenue?). We already know that Christian Louboutin produces high-quality shoes, and we already know that the red sole is his "thing." He doesn't need to prove that his label is prestigious by mercilessly busting knockoffs, and shaking his fists at Yves Saint Laurent (which, by the way, has been around a lot longer than he has) for selling a few styles with soles similar to his. You can't copyright fashion or else clothing would eventually become unwearable — designers simply rip other designers off. Take Tory Burch, for example — all of her flats feature a "trademark" double-T medallion on the toe. Tons of other designers and imitators sell flats with some sort of logo decoration on the toe as well, but Burch doesn't go around suing them.
Uh ohs this blog has the same color scheme as Louboutin shoes will I get sued?! And my banner has Louboutins in it. Poopy.