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Socialite Nancy Dell'Olio wears Christian Louboutin. Credit: Getty Images

A French court has given High Street retailer the green light to go on selling red-soled shoes that Christian Louboutin argues are cheap knock offs of his expensive stilettos.

Christian Louboutin has made red-soled shoes a mark of quality, and a pair his stilettos retail for over $1000, while Zara's red-soled shoes can be bought for as little as AUD$60.

In 2008 the high end footwear company registered a trademark to protect its signature scarlet soles.

In the same year the shoe company took Zara took court over an open-toed shoe that it said was a copy of the Christian Louboutin Yo Yo heel.

Christian Louboutin Credit: Getty Images

Louboutin's argument is based on the idea that colour plays an important role in brand identity.

The footwear designer cited a similar case that saw Cadbury defend its signature purple packaging from use by direct competitor Nestle.

In 2011 Christian Louboutin filed a similar case against luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurant in the US, which is yet to be decided.

Christian Louboutin began his career as an apprentice to Roger Vivier, the man who claims to have invented the stiletto, in Paris in the early eighties.

In 1991 Louboutin opened his first boutique in Paris, and has been credited with bringing the stiletto back into fashion in the nineties.