Balenciaga’s Latest Fashion Faux Pas: A €3,000 Scotch Tape Bracelet

In the ever-peculiar world of high fashion, Balenciaga has once again managed to turn heads and spark debate with its latest creation: a bracelet crafted to resemble a roll of transparent Scotch tape.

Priced at a staggering €3,000 (S$4,400), this accessory from the luxury fashion brand’s fall/winter 2024-25 collection has left many scratching their heads and others reaching for their wallets.

Unveiled on 3 March during Paris Fashion Week, the bracelet is part of Balenciaga’s ongoing endeavor to elevate mundane, everyday objects to haute couture status by simply affixing its prestigious name. This time, the brand has aimed at packaging materials, reimagining them as fashion accessories fit for the runway.

The model who strutted down the catwalk with the sticky tape bracelet sported a loose powder blue dress cinched at the waist with adhesive tape, further emphasizing the theme of packaging materials turned fashion statements.

The absurdity of Balenciaga’s latest offering has not gone unnoticed by the online community. After a video featuring the bracelet appeared on the TikTok page of fashion influencer @highsnobiety, it quickly went viral, garnering nearly eight million views and sparking a flurry of reactions.

While some online commentators have mocked Balenciaga’s audacity in charging exorbitant prices for what essentially amounts to a roll of tape, others have praised the brand for its ability to provoke conversation and challenge perceptions of value in contemporary fashion.

Twitter user @alinelks expressed skepticism towards Balenciaga’s motives, suggesting that the brand’s creations might be part of a scheme to exploit the wealthy.

Eu tenho pra mim q o pessoal da Balenciaga senta numa sala e fica o dia inteiro anotando num quadro “como podemos fazer rico de otario hj?”, aí quando terminam e observam as pessoas chamando eles de geniais, soltam a risadinha do Kevin pic.twitter.com/cNpt7GgFfR

— Aline de Assis (@alinelks) March 12, 2024

“I think that the people at Balenciaga sit in a room and spend the whole day writing down on a board “How can we make a fool rich today?”, then when they finish and see people calling them genius, Kevin laughs,” she wrote.

The post received more than 300 comments. One of them from the account @yorrarah proposed a theory that Balenciaga intentionally repurposes items typically associated with the less affluent, thereby increasing their allure among the affluent.

(Source: X Platform/@yorrarah on @alinelks)

“It’s a social experiment… And it’s working. They take articles from poor people, brand them, and launch them. It’s ridiculous, but it’s working,” she commented.

Others just commented, “My theory is: the vast majority of their items are ridiculous for us mere mortals (so what if the bracelet costs 3 thousand reais? I’m not going to walk around with a roll of tape on my arm). And that’s what gives value to the brand, rich people like what poor people don’t use,” @yniirak said in her comment.

(Source: X Platform/@yniirak on @alinelks)

Fashion influencers have speculated that the hype surrounding the bracelet could drive its price even higher, with some suggesting it could fetch as much as €3,000 on the market.

This is not the first time Balenciaga has courted controversy with its unconventional designs. In the past, the brand has released items such as a tote bag resembling Ikea’s iconic blue shopping bag, priced at a hefty $2,000, and a pair of worn and dirty trainers retailing for $1,850.

In 2022, Balenciaga introduced the “most costly garbage bag” dubbed, priced at about $1,790, alongside worn, dirty trainers, priced at $1,850.

In that particular year, the fashion label encountered severe criticism for two contentious advertising campaigns: one featuring children styled with teddy bear bags inspired by BDSM themes, and another displaying documents related to child pornography laws in the background.

Additionally, Balenciaga drew attention for its widely discussed “towel skirt” from its Spring 2024 collection, priced at US$925, intended to give the wearer the appearance of having just emerged from the shower.