MANILA, Philippines — Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga received criticisms online for its limited-edition "full destroyed" sneakers for its hefty price at US $1,850 (P97,065.80) despite its "distressed version."
Balenciaga noted that despite the design of the shoes looking dirty, the goal is for the pairs to be worn for a long time to promote sustainable consumption. The brand produced only 100 pairs for the campaign.
The trainers went viral on Chinese platform Weibo, as some two million consumers interacted about the topic, noting that the shoes are either too ugly to make an impact, or are an example of tone-deafness among wealthy people.
“I can find a pair of these shoes in the bin for free,” one consumer wrote.
Another one posted, “Wouldn’t it be more eco-friendly not to sell these shoes?”
Even Twitter users across the world have some thoughts on the expensive sneakers.
Balenciaga gotta be a social experiment pic.twitter.com/HAhDEjQcIi
— kira ???? (@kirawontmiss) May 10, 2022
Why is poverty now an aesthetic for rich people???? pic.twitter.com/jkZgKH22vu
— X Æ A-XII (@MessiahMajid) May 10, 2022
Balenciaga is releasing a new pair of shoes, and I have to assume they are just trolling people at this point. pic.twitter.com/IsJaBxCvy6
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 9, 2022
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