(ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES) – Balenciaga has taken the fashion world by storm yet again, this time by transforming a roll of Scotch tape into a luxury bracelet, fetching an eye-watering price of EUR3,000 (SGD4,400).
This bold move has sparked a flurry of reactions online, ranging from sharp ridicule to backhanded compliments, as the luxury brand continues its trend of reimagining everyday items as high-fashion staples, merely by branding them with its prestigious name.
The so-called bracelet, a clever nod to the use of packaging materials as fashion statements, debuted as part of Balenciaga’s Fall/Winter 2024-25 lineup at Paris Fashion Week on March 3.
Designed to mimic the appearance of transparent adhesive tape, the accessory adorned the wrist of a model clad in a flowing powder blue dress, which itself was cinched with actual adhesive tape, blending the theme of utilitarian materials with high couture.
The sticky tape bracelet went viral after it appeared on the TikTok page of fashion influencer @highsnobiety.
A video on the page asking “Would you wear this?” has been seen close to eight million times.
“Balenciaga is a social experiment of selling rich people senseless stuff,” @toni.montana97 said in the comments section.
Another commenter, @hyures1, chimed in: “Rich people want to feel poor so bad.”
Others just went with the joke.
“I just bought one, but it’s from a small indie brand called Scotch,” Nick Young said in his comment on TikTok.
Writing on the same thread, Andreia Simao said she had long been on this trend: “When I was 6 years old, helping my father painting walls at home”.
The bracelet is also rocking China’s fashionista millions to their core.
Influencers there are creating their own sticky tape creations that they are hoping to sell for a fraction of the price because those do not come with the Balenciaga name.
A user on Douyin – China’s version of TikTok – posted his own video offering a tape ring, tape earring and a three-piece tape necklace.
Balenciaga has yet to say how much it will charge for the sticky tape bracelet, but similar pieces on its official site currently cost from EUR295 to EUR1,600.
Some fashion influencers have said that with all the hype now going around it, the bracelet could fetch as much as EUR3,000.
Balenciaga is no stranger to provocations to ironically get across its meta-criticism of consumerism and capitalism, and challenge perceptions of value and desirability in contemporary fashion.
In 2017, it released the USD2,000 (SGD2,700) “Arena extra-large shopper tote bag” that looked much like Ikea’s USD0.99 blue shopping bag.
It rolled out another tote bag that same year that resembled a paper bag but was actually made up of high-priced calfskin and, thus, was appropriately priced at US$1,100.
Then in 2022, Balenciaga unveiled the “world’s most expensive trash bag” – cowskin Trash Pouches – that retailed for around USD1,790, and a pair of torn and dirty USD1,850 trainers.
And who can forget Balenciaga’s infamous “towel skirt” from its Spring 2024 collection – which sets you back USD925 so that you can look like you just come out of the shower?
