Cover While logos and labels are simple to trademark, these iconic luxury shapes managed to achieve the ultimate legal victory by securing sole ownership over their physical outlines. In photo is Patricia Gloria Contreras wearing a watch by Audemars Piguet and carrying a top-handle Birkin bag by Hermès (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)
While logos and labels are simple to trademark, these iconic luxury shapes managed to achieve the ultimate legal victory by securing sole ownership over their physical outlines. In photo is Patricia Gloria Contreras wearing a watch by Audemars Piguet and carrying a top-handle Birkin bag by Hermès (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)
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From red shoe soles to octagonal watch cases, here are ten luxury shapes that fashion houses legally own and defend.
Protecting the shape of a product can be surprisingly difficult under intellectual property law. A logo, brand name or distinctive monogram is relatively straightforward to identify and register as a trademark. A recognisable silhouette is a different matter. For luxury fashion houses that may spend years developing a signature bag, shoe or accessory, the outline alone can be difficult to protect from imitation unless it meets specific legal requirements.
The key question is whether consumers see the shape as more than just a design. To qualify for trademark or trade dress protection in many jurisdictions, the form must help identify where the product comes from. In other words, a shopper should be able to recognise the maker from the shape itself, even without a logo, name or other branding. That is a demanding standard, which is why only a relatively small number of luxury product shapes have secured lasting protection through 3D trademarks, trade dress or other design rights.
Looking at the shapes that have received legal protection also offers an interesting glimpse into how intellectual property law handles the tension between a brand’s investment in a recognisable design and competitors’ ability to create their own products.
Why some fashion shapes get legal protection
Product shapes face strict scrutiny under intellectual property law. A form that is primarily functional generally cannot be trademarked, since competitors need access to basic shapes to make similar products. Luxury brands therefore need to show that consumers associate a particular shape with the brand itself, a concept known as acquired distinctiveness or secondary meaning.
Design rights offer another route, protecting a product’s visual appearance for a limited period without requiring the same level of consumer recognition. Trademarks and trade dress can potentially last indefinitely, provided they continue to meet legal requirements and are actively defended. The exact rules vary by jurisdiction, but the distinction is particularly important in fashion, where a signature silhouette can remain commercially relevant for decades.
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The Hermès Birkin and Kelly handbags
In the leather goods sector, a small number of handbag silhouettes have achieved full legal recognition as proprietary shapes. The Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags hold registered trade dress for their precise rectangular structures, front flap geometries and turn-lock key closure mechanisms. These registrations allow the house to take legal action against lookalike bags even when the imitation lacks any Hermès branding or hardware logos.
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The Dior Saddle Bag
Dior secured protection for its Saddle Bag by obtaining 3D shape trademark registrations covering the distinct asymmetrical, equestrian-inspired silhouette. Courts recognized that this distinct visual contour serves as a primary visual identifier for the brand, allowing Dior to stop unauthorized structural lookalikes without needing to prove logo infringement.
The Longchamp Le Pliage Tote
Longchamp maintains trade dress rights over the specific trapezoidal geometry of the Le Pliage, protecting the precise proportion of its lightweight body combined with its short leather flap and snap closure. The registration prevents competing manufacturers from duplicating the exact ratio of foldability, structure and leather trimming that defines the bag.
The Louis Vuitton Rigid Trunks and Noé Bucket Bag
Louis Vuitton holds structural shape registrations for its rigid rectangular travel trunks and the bucket silhouette of its Noé bag. Beyond the famous canvas monogram, these structural registrations protect the pure architectural geometry of the luggage and handbag lines from third-party replication.
The Louboutin Red Sole footwear
Securing trademark rights for footwear outlines presents unique legal hurdles because shoes must conform to the natural human foot. Despite this constraint, Christian Louboutin secured landmark protection for its contrasting red outsole on high-heeled footwear. European courts and American tribunals confirmed that while a red sole on a matching red shoe remains free for public use, a red outsole paired with a contrasting upper functions as a protected shape identifier.
The Hermès Oran Sandal
Hermès protects the Oran sandal through design rights and trade dress, focusing on the cut-out H leather strap integrated into the flat slide silhouette. By securing rights over the combined strap geometry and sole profile, the house maintains exclusive control over one of the most recognizable casual footwear shapes in fashion.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch case
The watchmaking and fine jewelry industries feature some of the most strictly defended luxury shapes in modern commerce. Audemars Piguet holds registered trademarks for the Royal Oak case geometry, specifically covering its octagonal bezel held in place by exposed hexagonal screws. This registration allows the brand to stop rival watchmakers from adopting identical bezel geometry, regardless of what text appears on the watch dial.
The Cartier Tank Watch and Love Bracelet
Cartier maintains trade dress and shape registrations for several of its core collections. The rectangular case of the Cartier Tank watch, defined by its integrated vertical side bars, remains protected against structural imitation. Similarly, the oval wrist contour and flat-head screw motif of the Cartier Love Bracelet are legally protected visual signatures that demonstrate how precise physical dimensions can achieve the same level of legal enforcement as a written brand name.
The Patek Philippe Nautilus watch case
Patek Philippe holds design and trademark protections over the Nautilus watch case, specifically defending its rounded octagonal bezel and ear-like side hinge contours. The structural framing of the case acts as a recognized origin marker, granting the company exclusive rights over this distinct watch geometry.
The legal protection of product shapes ultimately comes down to more than whether a design is distinctive or desirable. A silhouette must meet specific legal tests to become an exclusive brand identifier, while design rights offer protection for a limited period. When those rights are infringed, a brand may pursue legal remedies such as an injunction to stop the unauthorised use, damages or other forms of compensation, depending on the jurisdiction and the type of right involved. For luxury fashion houses, that makes a recognisable shape both a creative asset and a long-term intellectual property challenge, particularly when a signature silhouette becomes closely associated with the brand.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
