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Sole survivor
While those cases are relatively small scale, a recent seizure of
20,000 counterfeit pairs of Louboutins at a US port highlighted
a bigger problem when it was confirmed they had a street value
of $18 million. The shoes had been shipped from China, where
they were thought to be manufactured for about $3 per pair –
making a tidy profit for those who can sell them on the black
market. It raises the obvious question of how many fakes have
not been caught at customs, and how many are profiteering on
the back of the brand Mr Louboutin has built.
The company takes a “zero tolerance” policy to
counterfeiting. It says: “Our programme uses our intellectual
property rights, especially copyright laws, to force web hosts to
close down sites they are hosting which we identify as selling
fake products and violating our IP rights.”
In his CNN interview, Mr Louboutin told of a woman whose
fiancé had originally plucked up the courage to speak to her
because he saw her red soles and used them as a conversation
starter. “So definitely, shoes are an element of communication
between people,” he says.
While the decision to rule in favour of the brand over YSL
caused some consternation among some fashion
commentators, who brought up the argument of monopolies
and competition, Mr Louboutin’s message was undoubtedly
communicated through the ruling. “The stiletto is a very natural
element of femininity. It doesn’t speak of a shoe, it speaks of a
way to live.”
.”
Simon Roberts is a journalist and academic, and also Welsh
fell running champion in the veteran category for 2011.
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WORLD FOOTWEAR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Christian Louboutin at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles,
California last year.