US customs seizes $18m-worth of Christian Louboutin fakes

The US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has intercepted thousands of pairs of counterfeit Christian Louboutin shoes with a value around $18m.

Five separate shipments of the shoes - comprising a total of around 20,000 pairs - have been intercepted at Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport over the last few weeks. They are reported to have been shipped from China.

"Worn by celebrities and royalty in the fashion world, the lacquered red sole in (the) shoes is a distinctive symbol of famous French designer Christian Louboutin," said Ruiz in a statement.

"However, CBP specialists have a different view of the lacquered red sole; they see a trademark protected by US law," he added.

The fakes are very close copies of the original brands and are destined to be destroyed, added the CBP.

In 2010, Christian Louboutin launched an offensive against counterfeit copies of its products which at the time were all too commonly found on sites such as eBay.

The company has set up a website dedicated to fighting fakes, and publishes a list of websites known to distribute knock-offs, with a search engine to help buyers vet  online sellers.

Despite their efforts, there is a constant stream of cases involving counterfeit Christian Louboutin products, with seizures in Singapore, France, China and the UK in recent weeks accounting for more than 20,000 pairs of shoes.