‘Rubbish bin’ Balenciaga trainers that cost US$1,850 slammed by Chinese consumers who question value of luxury brands

The shoes are designed to look dirty and roughed up to draw attention to fashion’s role in environmental degradation

Chinese consumers said they were either too ugly to make an impact or were an example of tone-deafness

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These sneakers from Balenciaga appear ruined, but they are actually designed to last a long time to promote sustainable fashion. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 19 May 2022Updated: 9:43am, 19 May 2022

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga was panned by Chinese consumers after it launched a 12,000 yuan (US$1,850) trainers line that looks like they have been fished out from the rubbish dump to promote environmental protection.

Balenciaga announced on April 9 that only 100 pairs of these limited edition trainers would be available for its new campaign promotion. There was a separate release of trainers that look a bit less beaten up in March and cost between US$495 and US$625.

The shoes went viral on Weibo this week and were widely criticised as being too ugly to be an effective awareness tool but more as an example of tone-deafness from wealthy people.

Balenciaga’s new line of shoe was compared online to trainers that can be found in the garbage. Photo: Balenciaga

“I can find a pair of these shoes in the bin for free,” one person wrote.

Another asked: “Wouldn’t it be more eco-friendly not to sell these shoes?”

“Is it a game for the rich?” asked a user.

At the time of writing, 2.12 million users on Weibo had interacted with the topic.

The idea behind the trainers is to promote awareness of how human consumption impacts the environment and the role fast fashion plays in global waste.