Balenciaga is selling a pair of destroyed sneakers for a lot of money and everyone is confused about it
The Paris Sneaker, a destroyed-looking shoe by Balenciaga, is selling for almost $2,000 a pair
In today’s very odd news: luxury brand Balenciaga is currently selling a new collection of shoes dubbed the Paris Sneakers for $1,850 each. The catch? They look completely distressed and destroyed.
As other luxury companies jump into the sneaker market with products that are too cool for words (case in point: these New Balance Miu Miu sneakers), Balenciaga is making heads turn with what the company itself describes as "extremely worn, marked up and dirtied" shoes.
The least expensive product in the new collection is a pair of moderately distressed mules that come in black, red or white for $495 each.
For $625, on the other hand, you can purchase the bit-more-destroyed high-tops that also come in the trio of colors.
Women's limited edition Paris high top sneaker full destroyed in black ($1,850) | Balenciaga
The head-turning shoe features fully destroyed cotton and rubber, rippings all over the fabric and the Balenciaga logo printed at the edge of the toe
Finally, the most expensive pair in the collection is the $1,850 limited edition high-top with "destroyed cotton and rubber" plus "rippings all over the fabric." You can order these in black or white but beware that the company will only sell 100 pairs in total. Yes, we're just as confused as you are.
According to an official press release, the sneakers, now available for pre-order, are "meant to be worn for a lifetime." Not sure what that has to do with their pretty off-kilter look.
Following the release of the photos online, folks took to social media to publicly contemplate the product and mostly complain about it.
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"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 your mind was at in that moment," a Twitter user posted.
"Balenciaga is back at it with the poverty-chic pieces," someone else wrote, referring to the brand's past brushes with similar criticisms." They're selling these sneakers that look like they belonged to someone who could only afford one pair of shoes their entire adulthood for *625 DOLLARS.* Unchecked capitalism is mind-boggling."
Yet another user noted, "Balenciaga is now selling beat up Converse for $1,850."
So, if you’re on the market for new kicks and just can’t wrap your head around this incredibly odd offering by Balenciaga, consider perhaps investing in Lululemon's brand-new, first ever pair of sneakers instead.
Anna Rahmanan is a New York-based writer and editor who covers culture, entertainment, food, fashion and travel news. Anna’s words have appeared on Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, Fortune, Forbes, Us Weekly, Bon Appetit and Brooklyn Magazine, among other outlets.
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