By Odeisel

Hip-Hop used to have a sign on the door that said no biting allowed.  We all know that’ s BEEN out the window, but it seems the fashion guys have to deal with that now as well. In the world of couture, where originality is prized as much as quality, you have to come with fresh designs every year.

Everyone has their lanes and since 1992 aided by a general love affair sparked by HBO’s Sex And The City series, Christian Louboutin has put holes in pockets with its red-soled stiletto shoes. They have been mentioned in songs and flashed on red carpets everywhere as the end-all-be- all shoe for the fashion elite. The red bottom design itself was trademarked by Louboutin to prevent knockoffs and biters from taking advantage of a significant status identifier.

Knock-offs are a part of fashion and you would assume that on the corners of Canal Street in NYC, you’d see knockout Louboutins alongside fake Coach bags and other factory-made rip-offs. You never expect a fellow competitor or designer in your space, presumably also sensitive to the idea of knock-offs hurting your bottom line, ripping you off. Apparently fashion house Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) has decided to say damn the sign on the door. Already treading perilously close to infringement with their blue bottomed Tribute line, YSL has gone past the line and is producing red-bottomed versions of the Tribute, Palais and Woodstock lines.

There won’t be any dis wars or violence. It doesn’t go down like that in couture. Instead, earlier this week, Louboutin filed an injunction against YSL in Manhattan Federal Court, seeking a halt to the manufacture of red-bottomed shoes, as well as seeking damages of up to $1,000,000.

There are subtle differences in the soles as the red on the YSL sole isn’t lacquered or shiny, and aslo come in different colors like green and purple soled shoes, but the idea of a red sole instantly recalls the Louboutin aesthetic.

It’s a shame that YSL would stoop so low, and it’s doubtful they would have gone that route if their patriarch was still alive and in charge of the company.  The Algerian-born designer was the first to use Black models on his runway and gave women an edgy sexiness that departed from frilly femininity.

That said, ripping off a colleague is low ball in any profession, particularly when creativity is involved. Let’s hope this can get resolved, so that wannabe fashionistas can be sure that the shoes they are going to the poorhouse for, are at least the right ones. Peep the video below for tips on how not to get ripped on the fashion shoes.

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