Worn sneakers, lace earring, bag shaped like a potato chip bag. One thing that Balenciaga knows how to do very well, in addition to creating trends, is launching controversial pieces. At each show, Demna Gvasalia, creative director of the Spanish brand, bets on a new item that will arouse desire as well as criticism.
Fashion is marked by novelty. After all, what has already been seen does not shock and trends die with saturation. So that brand that knows how to be creative and provoke like Balenciaga, wins its space. You may not like it, but you end up talking. And so it provokes, goes viral, gains audience on social networks and generates a desire. It’s no wonder that Balenciaga is among the most desired luxury brands according to the Lyst Index’s quarterly ranking.
But do you know which are the most controversial products of the brand? Check out our selection:
LAYS BAG
The bag launched in the last spring/summer show, copies the packaging of Lays, a famous snack brand. However, instead of a disposable packaging, the bag is made of leather emblazoned with the package design. The only difference between the potato sack and the luxury item is that it says “Balenciaga” instead of the flavor. In Brazil, a bag of potato chips costs just over R$5.00, but the bag reaches US$1,800, the equivalent of R$9,468.
TRASH POUCH
The bags that have a design reminiscent of a garbage bag, the Trash Pouch, were presented at the last fall/winter show and made many wonder how far the limits of fashion go. Even so, the item sold out in a short time. Demna made it very clear that her intention was to cause a fashion scandal. The item was priced at US$1790, equivalent to R$9,415.
SHOELACE EARRINGS
In August of this year, the brand launched an earring made from tennis shoelaces. That’s right. In the form of a loop, the wire is attached by a silver pin to be attached to the ears. Despite having a simple design, the item costs $236.
PARK JACKET
A very different oversized jacket hit the catwalk in 2017. With a mega deconstructed silhouette and many layers of overlays, the coat is a reinterpretation of Gvasalia, inspired by the iconic suits by Cristobal Balenciaga.
PLATFORM CROCS
Crocs are controversial in their own right. But in 2017, Balenciaga teamed up with Crocs and the fashion world was turned upside down. From the collab, the platform version of Crocs emerged. As if the controversial design were not enough, the shoe had numerous Jibbitz. At the time the Croc cost more than 800 dollars, which today would be 4,208 reais.
PARIS SNEAKERS
The “Paris Sneakers” sneaker, one of the brand’s classics, gained in May this year a very controversial new look. In the promotional material, the shoes looked super worn, torn and dirty, as if they had been on a great adventure. Tennis can go for around 9,500 reais.
T-SHIRT SHIRT
In 2018, Balenciaga released a piece that caused some confusion among Twitter users. The item in question was a t-shirt shirt or as it was called by the brand “t-shirt shirt“, that is, a shirt attached on the front to a t-shirt.
Here we are going to take some pictures holding a package of Lays and pretending to be Balenciaga to post on the networks. Jokes aside, what is the most controversial item for you?
Text produced by Tina Siqueira, our fashion consultant in Brazil.
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