Louboutin: Famous consumer endangers image

The battle of the red shoe sole has become a matter of societal concern. After having targeted fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Louboutin has now set its sights on an anti-islamic campaign. And successfully, as Louboutin is allowed to

decide who gets to be depicted wearing the distinctive sole.

Anke Van der meersch, a politician with the Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang, might want to sell her Louboutins. She was the star of a poster by the group 'Women against islamasation'. The poster shows Van dermeersch wearing a short skirt and Christian Louboutin heels. Along the length of her leg words such as 'stoning', 'slut' and 'provocation' denounce the various skirt lengths, ankle length being 'sharia compatible'.

The French designer does not want to be associated with anti-islamic ideas. "The red sole is a protected trademark and is extremely well-known. It stands for 'le chic parisien' and by using it in a campaign against islam harms the brand's image," says Louboutin's lawyer, Thierry van Innis, in the Belgian paper De Morgen.

The judge has sided with Louboutin on the issue. The poster must be removed immediately. Van dermeersch is mystified. She calls it a 'political sentence borne out of fear'. "I wear Clarks shoes, but if I'm to be interviewed by the television, am I still allowed to wear them?" her lawyers asks.

Louboutin

decides who wears his shoes

This is not the first time a brand fears for its image due to a famous person. Two years ago, Lacoste asked Anders Breivik, the man responsible for the massacre in Oslo and Utoya, not to wear his red Lacoste sweater. The photograph of Breivik in a police car, wearing the red sweater with the green crocodile logo, was featured in almost every paper and was repeatedly spread over the internet. The Norwegian daily Dagbladet called the association between the fashion label and Breivik a nightmare for Lacoste. But the serial killer was a big fan. "Civilized people such as myself should wear brands like Lacoste," he wrote in his extreme-right and anti-islamic manifesto. He also wrote that wearing Lacoste makes him look like a highly-educated, conservative European.

Abercrombie & Fitch decided against a court case and chose to solve its own image problem. The fashion company promised Mike 'the Situation' Sorrentino - known for his work in the MTV reality show Jersey Shore - 10,000 dollars if he would refrain from wearing Abercrombie & Fitch. The brand did not want to be associated with the Italian-American reality star. The chain also made a T-shirt featuring the text "The Fitchuation'. Sorrentino objected to this and sued the company, but to no avail. He was left empty-handed.

Image right: Anke Vandermeersch
Image left: Mike Sorrentino wearing Abercrombie & Fitch