FASHION: Internet users react as Balenciaga launches limited edition "destroyed" sneakers

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga is known for pushing boundaries and taking them to the next level with each new launch. To keep up with the brand's disruptive (and bizarre!) movements, it just launched a limited-edition collection of overly distressed sneakers dubbed Paris Sneaker.

The sneakers are available in red, black and white and will be released in high-top and mule versions. The sneakers, priced at a whopping $625 and $495 respectively, are made from fully destroyed cotton and rubber with tears throughout the fabric. The brand's logo is printed on the toe edge and the graffiti logo is in contrasting colour on the sole.

The shabby-looking aesthetic of the sneakers is further emphasized in the campaign images to suggest they are "meant to be worn for a lifetime," Balenciaga said in a press release.

According to the brand, the new sneaker is "an updated classic design that interprets mid-century athleticism and timeless casual wear in black, white or red, with a white rubber sole and toe with distressed canvas and raw edges that create a pre-worn look.”

As expected, netizens were stunned by the extremely worn looking design of the new Balenciaga sneakers and took to social media to give their opinion on it.

"I can find these in the garbage can for free," wrote one user in an Instagram post from The Business of Fashion.

Another user wrote: "This is honestly a slap in the face to those affected by poverty. I can understand why high-end brands want to exploit the 'bad aesthetic' so damn badly."

“Paying thousands for absolute rubbish? Sounds like an accurate reflection of where much of the industry is at,” commented one user.

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