For years, Balenciaga and controversy have gone hand in hand. Demna Gvasalia, creative director since 2015, has revolutionized the brand with his eccentric designs that have not left clients and followers of the fashion industry indifferent. The ill-advised campaign of children with sadomasochistic objects, the luxury garbage bag or the exclusive version of its shopping bag are just some of the controversial episodes that the company has had to face in the last eight years.
Once again, Gvasalia once again shows off his creativity – or eccentricity for many – with one of the pieces from the men’s collection for spring 2024, specifically, look number 30. When we thought we had seen it all, the creative director has unleashed the madness with a towel transformed into a skirt.
In fact, the design has been dubbed “towel skirt” and is made with Terry cotton. A piece that at first glance looks like a towel like the one usually used to dry off and is wrapped around the waist. A unisex mid-rise item that has a pair of buttons on the inside and an adjustable waist with a buckle. In addition, it has the embroidery of the brand’s logo on the front.
The most surprising part of this peculiar design is its price: 695 euros. An amount that has been highly criticized on social networks, where many users have shown their rejection of the piece that can already be reserved on the website. “I didn’t know I had a Balenciaga item in my bathroom,” says one on Instagram.
Others have also called on the brand to “overhaul the creative team”, while one ironically said that Gvasalia is “the king of originality”. Many have also remembered the founder of the brand, Cristóbal Balenciaga, stating that “they must be turning in his grave.”
Balenciaga’s towel skirt has already had a response from Ikea. It should be remembered that in 2017, Gvasalia launched a controversial version of the Swedish company’s famous blue plastic bag that had a price of 1,695 euros, a truly luxury design compared to the 0.50 euros that the item cost at that time.
The Instagram account in the United Kingdom has published an image where you can see a model with a towel from the company rolled up exactly like the Balenciaga piece. “Introducing the new VINARN skirt towel that is a spring 2024 fashion essential,” the company notes. One garment is priced at 16 pounds (18.30 euros), an amount that has nothing to do with the original design.
