Charisa Bossinakis
If you love a good bargain or you’re a coupon queen, brace yourself because fashion house Balenciaga has a great offer for you.
Right now, you can claim a designer trash bag for only AUD$2,577 (USD $1,790 or £1,478).
While we applaud Balenciaga for revolutionising women’s fashion and innovating haute couture, we need to have a stern talking to Creative Director Demna Gvasalia as his latest invention resembles a squished eggplant left in the sun.
The controversial accessory was unveiled earlier this year at Balenciaga’s Winter 22 Collection fashion show.
While some hypebeasts will no doubt be chomping at the bit to get their hands on it, this bag looks like something out of Zoolander’s Derelicte fashion line. Google it.
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Once the price was dropped, you best believe the internet went into a frenzy.
One person wrote: “Balenciaga has a trash bag for sell for $1,795. I think designer fashion is a morbid social experiment.”
Another said: “The next time someone calls me a trash bag I'm gonna assume we're talking about the balenciaga thingy.”
A third person commented: “If you can afford to spend $1,790 on a #Balenciaga fashion accessory that looks like a trash bag, you should have enough cash in the bank to fill it up with cash and donate it to your nearest charity.”
While another wrote: “If you’re walking around with a balenciaga trash bag you spend $1,700 on I will send some men I know to rob you.”
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However, Gvasalia defended the design, telling Women’s Wear Daily: “I couldn’t miss an opportunity to make the most expensive trash bag in the world, because who doesn’t love a fashion scandal?”
And look, we have to give it to the guy; he certainly knows how to create some buzz, good or bad.
But this isn’t the first time the Spanish luxury fashion house has faced backlash.
In May 2022, Balenciaga was panned by consumers for their ‘Rubbish Bin’ shoes that purposely looked like worn-in kicks valued to be around US$2,590 (AUD $3,718 or £2,134).
The brand also announced that they would release 100 pairs that looked ‘extra destroyed’ for those wanting to look a little more ‘chic’.
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Of course, the public ripped into them, with one person writing on Twitter: “Can people stop pretending that Gucci and Balenciaga trainers are nice. Those hideous shoes wae studs as well, get them in the bin.”
While another said: “Balenciaga shoes look like the kinda s**t you'd find in the bargain bin at the supermarket for 10 bucks.”