YSL Issues Rebuttal In Absurd Louboutin 'Red Soles' Lawsuit

It's the fashion eye-roll seen 'round the world: in April, Christian Louboutin, one of fashion's most iconic shoemakers, filed a lawsuit against fashion house Yves Saint Laurent for manufacturing shoes with Louboutin-style red soles. Louboutin trademarked his red varnished heels back in 2008 and is seeking $1 million in damages (which we calculated to be the equivalent of 250 pairs of Louboutin shoes).

The most recent courtroom update involves an arguably snarky rebuttal from YSL, essentially pooh-poohing Louboutin's claims. According to The Daily Mail, Louboutin claims to be "the first designer to develop the idea of having red soles on women's shoes," in spite of the fact that YSL has used scarlet soles on select shoe styles since the '70s -- long before Louboutin's innovation in 1992.

Court papers filed by YSL state that "Louboutin was fradulent in his trademark application claim that he had 'exclusive' use of the red sole:

"Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s and the ruby red shoes that carried Dorothy home in The Wizard of Oz."

We can see it now...skywriting reading, "Surrender Louboutin."

Louboutin also went head-to-head, or heel-to-heel, with Brazilian shoemaker Carmen Steffens for producing shoes with his "signature" soles. In both lawsuits, Louboutin claims that the other designers' red-soled shoes are being mistaken for those by Louboutin, creating a false identity for his company.

Comments

[pcplz]

01:02 PM on 05/26/2011

Simple....just buy a pair of snazzy shoes that fit and fingernail polish the soles.....if you gotta have the red.....or fuschia .....or electric green .....or ......whatever.....

I just cannot pay that much $$ for a pair of shoes that hurt. I could care less about people checking out the soles of my feet for fashion.

[pizzoinnovations]

08:09 PM on 05/25/2011

Mom always said, "put on your shoes and socks". But you can't wear socks with those sexy shoes can you? Not until now. You don't wear socks on your feet,you wear them under your feet they are called Summersox. www.summersox.com

[pizzoinnovations]

08:27 PM on 05/25/2011

Thanks. I checked it out and picked up a few up on sale. Summersox are a great idea. I'm looking forward to wearing them. Keep up the good work.

[Mirame Emor]

03:43 PM on 06/10/2011

Oh c'mon! If you are going to spam here at least reply to your posts with a different account!

[ArChiMi]

05:52 PM on 05/25/2011

I find Louboutins unattractive precisely for that red sole.

[samantha818]

10:03 AM on 05/25/2011

Trademarks are supposed to protect consumers from buying knockoffs thinking it's the real thing. Trademarks do NOT protect consumers who want to prevent other people from thinking they're wearing cheap knockoffs.

If they get this trademark thrown out, Louboutins will become far less desirable because every cheap shoe manufacturer in the world can throw a red sole on their shoes and make them look like Loubs. Why buy a $1,000 shoe if everyone else might think it's just a cheap knockoff that only cost $100?

[Dionita]

11:18 PM on 05/25/2011

I got my Loo Boo Tans in Shanghai. Red soles are considered lucky there.

[eva belle]

03:02 AM on 05/25/2011

Also, Loubs are some of the most uncomfortable shoes one could ever wear. Your size won't fit you well, which I find quite strange as the shoe itself is mighty expensive. The shop will ask you to take a smaller size just so that straps can fit, or reduce the boat-looking effect on your feet. Never mind the red sole scrapping off as soon as you step on non-carpeted surfaces. And what's with the hooves?

[samantha818]

09:41 AM on 05/25/2011

Completely agree. Louboutins just don't fit right at all. I guess it depends on the person, though.

The guy I buy shoes from steered me away from Louboutins in 2009, saying that they lost a lot of their quality once they started producing more to keep up with the demand. The details - seams, insoles, etc.- have started to look really bad, yet they still charge a fortune. For my money, I'd rather go with Jimmy Choo, Prada, or YSL.

[Jlbeaverton]

02:56 AM on 05/25/2011

Give me a break ,if all you have to trademark your brand is a color of outsole your in trouble.
And besides that colors should not be allowed to be trademarked.

[Beaucheron]

09:58 PM on 05/24/2011

I agree with Loubou - it really doesn't matter who made the red sole first.... Loubou 'OWNS' it now and his signature should be respected...

[tcnsrq]

10:29 AM on 05/25/2011

the trademark claim is ridiculous. Red outsoles have been used for centuries. He didn't design it he just uses it more than others. But you've taken the piss anyway so have at it.

[Widespread Panic]

06:42 PM on 05/24/2011

Oh those heels...looks so painful!

[theredqueen]

05:28 PM on 05/24/2011

On another topic, but still related, I see so many women wearing a peep to shoe with their toes hanging over the edge. See for example the picture shown for this topic. It looks very ugly and if you can't wear a peep to shoe without letting it all hang out don't wear them.

[theredqueen]

05:56 PM on 05/24/2011

Toe, toe, toe - I do be your pardon.

[theredqueen]

06:02 PM on 05/24/2011

Beg, beg, beg I'll soon get it right.

Cataract surgery next week.

[TigerLilyCo]

07:13 AM on 05/25/2011

That usually happens when your feet sweat and begin to slip forward. You can buy what are called "foot petals" to put in your shoes and they keep your feet from sliding forward. Another good trick is to rub a solid deodorant on the bottom of your foot to keep the skin surface dry. Heels can be extremely comfy and I agree with the other poster, regardless of the history of red soles, they are now a trademark for Loubou....

[sbmulqueen]

09:45 AM on 05/25/2011

Foot Petals rock. I use them in all my shoes in all different styles. Love the strappy things.

[DawnK]

03:38 PM on 05/24/2011

YSL should have patented that red sole in the 70's. It's true that when I see a woman walking down the street in a pair of leopard print stilettos with a red heel I automatically think Louboutins. I was in a store the other and saw a girl with a pair and jokingly told the girl working that I was going to push the other girl down and steal her shoes. She didn't get the joke.

[beadingchef]

02:27 PM on 05/24/2011

Oh plez!

[Comeplayinmyreality]

01:57 PM on 05/24/2011

I love shoes, always have but there is no way I would ever pay that much for them. Crazy Talk.

[annasophie1228]

01:42 PM on 05/24/2011

i'm sure this dispute matters amongst those who can afford those shoes. sadly, i am not one of those people.

my soles are black, usually rubber. buster brown has kept it that way for years.

[sara11981]

01:35 PM on 05/24/2011

Ms. Singer, What exactly makes this trademark lawsuit 'absurd' or a cause for an 'eye-roll'?

[JJovana]

01:05 PM on 05/24/2011

I can see where CB is coming from. Whenever I think of red sole, i associate it immediately with him.