Just like that, the red soles were born. So, what makes these shoes worth the cost? In 2013, when The New York Times asked Louboutin why his shoes were so expensive, he blamed production costs.

Under EU law companies cannot trademark common shapes of products such as the soles of shoes. Van Haren argued that applying red to a shoe sole came under that law and, as a result, Louboutin did ...

It included high-heeled shoes with red soles. Christian Louboutin put his foot down, saying it infringed his brand's Benelux trademark. The District Court in The Hague agreed and granted a ...