Balenciaga unveiled his new line of “completely destroyed” footwear this week, drawing criticism online for the extremely rundown aesthetic and high price tag.
The luxury fashion house launched the distressed version of its Paris High Top Sneaker on Monday. The limited edition line retails for $1,850 and features “completely destroyed” details like rips, scuffs, and what appears to be dirt. It’s more than double the price of the standard Paris High Top sneaker, which is $625 for a non-worn look.
Twitter users compared the shoe to “Converse Hit” and the “Ripped Converse, my mom begged me to throw them away when I was in high school.”
“Balenciaga has to be a social experiment,” says a viral tweet.
Balenciaga is selling just 100 pairs of the “completely destroyed” sneakers, which were created for an ad campaign, Complex reported. The versions sold online don’t look as tatty as the ones photographed for ads, but Twitter users are still wary of spending so much on what appear to be dirty shoes. a writer described the slippers as “pieces of poverty-chic”.
Another Twitter user echoed the sentiment in response to a post about the sneakers: “Why is poverty now an aesthetic for the rich?”
Twitter user Joe Pompliano wondered if the fashion house is “just trolling people right now.”
Brendan Dunne, a writer who specializes in sneaker coverage, asked why someone would buy the “totally worn out” sneakers.
“If you bought the $1,850 Balenciaga sneaker that looks like it was run over by a lawnmower, please reach out for help, but also contact me because I’d like to understand where your mind was at that time,” Dunne said.
Another Twitter user responded to a post about the sneakers with a photo of medieval footwear, writing, “They don’t look as good as the Gucci sneakers I just got.”
Saint Hoax, a parody account known for its pop culture memes, posted a video of someone falling into a mud pit with the caption “The new Balenciaga sneakers.”
What various twitter users However, he noted that Balenciaga’s ad campaign to promote the Paris Sneakers worked. Images of the extremely distressed footwear sparked conversations about the brand, even if those conversations were less than flattering.