If this isn’t both bizarre and offensive, I don’t know what is.
Luxury fashion brand ‘Balenciaga’ has just launched its limited collection of overly worn and distressed sneakers, labelled as ‘Paris Sneaker’. The Paris Sneaker collection features 100 pairs of limited edition extra destroyed sneakers. The standard version costs $625 (P33,000) and the scuffed-up iteration goes for a whopping $1,850 (almost P100,000).
This limited-edition version that has been customized to look annihilated, shredded, stained, and graffitied is the work of the artist Léopold Duchemin, in which he also said that this is a featured imagery to promote the shoes.
According to a Balenciaga representative, Duchemin used multitude of knives, scissors, punch paper for the texture. He used tea, wood filler, shoe polish and floor polish for the color.
The result was called “Full Destroyed”, and while the other “Paris” sneakers in the range are gently scuffed, 100 limited edition pairs have been heavily distressed.
Ethical fashion campaigner Livia Firth said she found the new limited sneakers “offensive.”
“To buy something so destroyed is beyond offensive towards people I actually met who wore shoes like this because they couldn’t afford even basic meals. She followed it up with a query: “On the other side, what is Balenciaga trying to say?” she asked.
According to Balenciaga, this new sneaker is a retooled classic design which interprets mid-century athleticism and timeless casual wear in black, white, or red, with a white rubber sole and toe with distressed canvas and rough edges, affecting a pre-worn look.
Despite all of its explanation and fashion discourse, this still draws complete attention to all people all over the world. Netizens have been brutally trolling Balenciaga all over social media. Twitter users criticized the product and stating that it mocks the poor and homeless.
