This is not a drill. During their Paris Fashion Week show, Balenciaga did something shocking and unprecedented: they tried to make Crocs cool.
The brand sent models down the catwalk wearing platform versions of the colorful clogs on Sunday, October 1. And if you thought Balenciaga was just trying to be ironic or funny, think again.
The fashion house has actually teamed up with Crocs for a full-on retail collection. “With the Women Spring Summer 18 runway show, Balenciaga launches the “Foam” shoes, a 10 cm platform version of the iconic @Crocs clog,” they wrote on Twitter. Note to those of us not on the metric system: that’s about four inches.
People had mixed reactions on the shoes, naturally, which typically retail for $34.99. “Rich people always taking a poor man ideas turning it into something stupid & overpriced,” one user wrote. “The world is officially ending soon,” another Tweeted.
But others were into the Crocs collab. “Crocs are making a comeback in 2018,” someone wrote. “These are amazing! I want them,” another fan agreed.
Backstage, Balenziaga artistic director Demna Gavasalia explained what inspired the unique shoes. “It’s a very innovative shoe. It’s light, it’s a one-piece foam mould and to me these kind of techniques and working with these kind of materials is very Balenciaga,” he shared.
“Working with Balenciaga has been so much fun for our team, and once again demonstrates the relevance of our iconic clog in today’s fashion and design world, as well as allowing us to tap into the excitement and energy that comes from unexpected partnerships,” Crocs’ SVP of global product and marketing said.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen Crocs on the runway. During London Fashion Week, Christopher Kane showed embellished clogs in his Spring 2016 show.
If you’re on Team Crocs, “The Foam” will available for purchase in Spring 2018.