Designer brand Balenciaga recently unveiled a new limited-edition line of footwear so damaged and dirty that most people wouldn’t be caught wearing it in public.
There’s such a thing as “distressed clothing” and it can actually look pretty nice, but sometimes designers go too far and we end up with some really weird products. Now, when it comes to pushing the envelope, Balenciaga is right up there with some of the most daring fashion brands, but being cutting edge comes with a high risk of looking ridiculous. Remember that Balenciaga skirt designed to look like a car mat? Not the fashion house’s best garment, but even that pales in comparison with its line of $1,450 destroyed sweaters. But if you happen to have bought one such extremely distressed sweater, at least you now have some banged-up sneakers to pair them with.
A pair of Balenciaga Paris High Top Sneakers will set you back $625, but if you’re looking for the heavily destroyed version, that one will cost you almost three times that much. It’s hard to explain why, because they look like someone just picked up a pair of beat-up old Converse sneakers, wore them daily for another year or so and then slapped the ‘Balenciaga’ name on them.
The promotional photos put out by the fashion house have sparked quite the controversy on social media, with people wondering if Balenciaga is just trolling its fans at this point, and others trying to understand why anyone would pay $1,850 for its new “full destroyed” sneakers.
“If you bought the $1,850 Balenciaga sneaker that looks like it was run over by a lawnmower please seek help but also please reach out to me because I would like to understand where you mind was at in that moment,” writer Brendan Dunne tweeted.
But even though reactions to the bizarre footwear – of which only 100 pairs are available for purchase – have been overwhelmingly negative, one could say that Balenciaga’s marketing team reached its goal. People are talking about the beat-up sneakers and photos of them are all over social media. I guess that’s a win, right?
