Balenciaga's 'Fully-Destroyed' sneakers draw criticism; check out why

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 sneakers are available in red, black and white colours, and are released in high top and mule varieties. The price of the shoes starts from $625, which is approximately Rs 48,304, and goes up to a range of $1,850, which is approximately Rs 1,42,982. The Balenciaga Paris Sneaker will be available worldwide on their website. These limited-edition shoes will be available in European stores on May 9 and the United States on May 16 ahead of a worldwide launch.

But ever since the pictures of the sneakers went viral, netizens have been brutally trolling Balenciaga all over social media. Twitter users criticized the product and stating that it mocks the poor and homeless.

"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," Brendan Dunne, General Manager at Sole Collector tweeted.

 

Joe Pompliano, founder of Huddle Up, wrote, "Balenciaga is releasing a new pair of shoes, and I have to assume they are just trolling people at this point."

 

According to the brand, the 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."

 

In March, the luxury label erased all images from its Instagram account, which has over 12.8 million followers, leaving only an image of the Ukrainian flag displaying solidarity towards Ukraine. The account still holds that one post.

 

Also Read: Campbell Wilson appointed CEO & MD of Air India

Also Read: Does RBI have options if rupee falls dramatically to 80 and beyond against US dollar?