In the realm of luxury fashion, Balenciaga has once again managed to blur the lines between haute couture and everyday items with its latest offering: a bracelet crafted to resemble a roll of transparent Scotch tape, priced at a jaw-dropping €3,000 (S$4,400).
Unveiled during Paris Fashion Week as part of Balenciaga’s fall/winter 2024-25 collection, this seemingly ordinary accessory has sparked a frenzy of mockery and intrigue online. Fashion influencers and social media users alike are both deriding and applauding the brand’s audacity to elevate mundane objects to high-end status simply by imprinting them with the prestigious Balenciaga name.
The bracelet, donned by a model on the catwalk, epitomizes Balenciaga’s penchant for pushing boundaries and challenging conventional notions of fashion. Paired with a powder blue dress cinched with adhesive tape, it epitomizes the brand’s playful exploration of packaging materials as fashion statements.
The viral sensation of the sticky tape bracelet was propelled further into the spotlight when it graced the TikTok page of fashion influencer @highsnobiety. A video posing the question “Would you wear this?” has garnered nearly eight million views, with comments ranging from incredulity to satire.
“Balenciaga is a social experiment of selling rich people senseless stuff,” remarked one commenter, reflecting the sentiment of many who view luxury fashion as indulging in absurd excess. Others humorously pointed out the irony of wealthy individuals yearning to experience a semblance of poverty through extravagant purchases.
Amidst the mockery, some fashion influencers predict that the bracelet’s hype could drive its price as high as €3,000, despite similar pieces on Balenciaga’s official site currently retailing for significantly lower prices ranging from €295 to €1,600.
As the debate rages on about the intersection of luxury, artistry, and commercialism in the fashion world, Balenciaga’s Scotch tape bracelet serves as a provocative symbol of the industry’s capacity to challenge norms and provoke discourse, even if it means wrapping luxury around a humble roll of tape.
