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The Strategy Behind Balenciaga’s Destroyed Sneaker Stunt

Demna’s latest campaign, which showcases an extremely tattered version of Balenciaga’s new Paris Sneakers, was met with contention online — which was likely the point.
Images from Balenciaga's latest campaign.
Images from Balenciaga's latest campaign. (Balenciaga)

This week, tweets like “Balenciaga this has to be a joke right?” and “I’m 100% convinced that Balenciaga is a social experiment” flew across the internet.

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Further Reading

The Business Vision Behind Balenciaga’s ‘New Era’

From a couture revival to winning the Met Gala, the Kering-owned brand is white-hot. Ahead of its buzzed-about Paris Fashion Week show Saturday, CEO Cedric Charbit speaks to BoF about the strategy behind ‘new era’ Balenciaga and his plan for pushing sales to the next level.

Can Balenciaga Modernise Couture?

Reviving Balenciaga’s haute couture operation has been a transformative experience for Demna Gvasalia, resulting in a democratic, gender-fluid collection that includes jeans and t-shirts. The designer sits down with Tim Blanks for an in-depth interview on the label’s ‘50th couture collection.’

About the author
Joan Kennedy
Joan Kennedy

Joan Kennedy is Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and covers beauty and marketing.

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