Louboutin has initiated legal proceedings against the French division of the São Paulo-based brand for selling shoes which allegedly infringed his trademarked red soles. The proceedings came just a week after the designer launched a similar bid against luxury empire Yves Saint Laurent, claiming the brand featured this mark across its Tribute, Tribtoo, Palais and Woodstock styles.
Ragtrader can reveal that Carmen Steffens, which currently operates a handful of stores in Australia, is negotiating a potential launch into Westfield Sydney this year.
The move would place it in direct competition with the recently launched Christian Louboutin Australian concept boutique, which is located on Level Three of the complex.
Carmen Steffens international development director Gabriel Spaniol said the expansion strategy has been in the pipeline for some time, with Westfield Sydney and Westfield Bondi Junction cited as front-runners for a flagship.
“I had meetings with Westfield Group about two years ago when we visited Australia, and would have loved to have a boutique there but timing and possibilities did not make it happen until now,” Spaniol said.
“We intend to open stores in Sydney and Melbourne this year. We launched our brand first in Western Australia to prepare logistics, operations and to learn more about the market, so that by the time we arrived in Sydney and Melbourne we were more prepared to deliver their needs.”
While global media reports on the company’s stoush with Louboutin first surfaced earlier this month, Spaniol revealed the matter dated back as early as January, 2011.
“[This was when] we received from Louboutin a 27-page document with the allegations. We tried to schedule a meeting in their offices for a peaceful solution but at the end, they refused to speak with us. He is going officially to court against us, but we cannot share details of the legal process.”
Carmen Steffens Paris claimed it has used red soles on its shoes since 1996, 12 years before Louboutin registered the mark in the US. Steffens operates 167 retail stores worldwide, offering footwear, bags and accessories.
It is understood Australian footwear retailer PeepToe changed the colour of its soles from red to purple last year due to similar circumstances. Louboutin could not be reached for comment.
Assia Benmedjdoub