Women's shoes are displayed at Manolo Blahnik's first China store before its official opening, at a shopping mall in Shanghai, China on Nov 6, 2024.SHANGHAI — Manolo Blahnik, the high-end shoe brand with many celebrity fans and often worn in the TV hit Sex and the City, has opened its first store in mainland China after a 22-year battle over the legal right to use its name.
In addition to the new boutique in Shanghai's Plaza 66 luxury mall, the company expects to open a store a year in China for the next five years, with Beijing and Chengdu the next likely locations. The shoemaker, named after its Spanish founder, had been limited in its ability to trade under its name in China after a local businessman filed trademarks related to "Manolo Blahnik" in 1999.
China is a "first to file" jurisdiction which doesn't require companies to prove prior use to claim a trademark, but a ruling two years ago from the Supreme People's Court of China found in favour of the company."We were very, very grateful to reclaim our trademark. Before that point, we were just focused on getting it back. we very much turned our head towards Asia," Chief Executive Kristina Blahnik, who is the founder's niece, said in an interview.
China's luxury footwear market is valued at about US$5 billion this year and is projected to grow 7.6 per cent a year through 2029, according to research firm Statista. Manolo Blahnik will compete with foreign brands such as Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin, which have the advantage of having been in China for more than a decade.
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