Competitive Analyses

In the world of designer shoes, there will always be competition with all kinds of different designers. But one particular face off is the YSL vs. Christian Louboutin Lawsuit. Louboutin wanted to sue YSL for releasing a red soled shoe. In the fashion world we all know that Christian copyrighted the rights in the US to be the only brand to have red soles in their shoes. When designing anything, the book states, "idea generation is the most challenging stage in the process," (Linda 20) but when YSL was making their red soled shoe they should have anticipated a lawsuit from Christian. The case was put on hold because the judge thought that color shouldn't be copyright protected because color is a big asset to not only shoes but also clothes in the fashion world. Later on the case was looked at again and Christian Louboutin won the case over YSL. The judge concluded that designers can only put a red sole on a shoe if the shoe itself is red, otherwise, Christian Louboutin is the only brand allowed to put a red sole on ever other colored shoe.

So what has YSL done recently to advertise their brand and their shoes that Christian has never done? Creative director Hedi Slimane changes the fashion house name from Yves Saint Laurent to Saint Laurent Paris. This genius marketing strategy took an iconic name for the brand and turns it around. This will ultimately create buzz for the brand, both good and bad. "Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity," (Linda 49) this quote directly from the book basically states that when you brand yourself, this is how people are going to see you. But what Hedi Slimane did by re-branding YSL to SLP is a huge deal for their consumers. They are either happy or upset but either way he has created a buzz that will draw consumers to his products.