Balenciaga’s ‘Destroyed’ Jacket, Priced At $950, Sells Out In 24 Hours: ‘I Have A Lot To Clean Floors’

Luxury fashion house Balenciaga has sparked a buzz on social media with its latest ‘Destroyed Model Jacket’. The jacket looks heavily distressed and tattered, as if it has survived a disaster. Priced at $950 (around Rs 84,000), the jacket’s first batch has sold out within 24 hours of launch, according to various social media posts.

Short clips shared on social media handles show a model zipping up the red, shredded jacket and pulling over its hood. Every inch of the garment looks worn out, with loose threads dangling from the sleeves, a torn and completely ripped patch in the middle and holes scattered across the fabric. The jacket resembled like something salvaged from an explosion or fire scene instead of a luxury fashion item.

Take a look at it here:

One of those who shared the clip was Ken Kuang, an Op-Ed writer at The Wall Street Journal. He posted the video on his LinkedIn account, stating that the first batch of Balenciaga’s “Destroyed” model jacket, priced at $950, sold out within 24 hours.

Watch the clip here:

Even in the past, Balenciaga has released intentionally distressed pieces, from worn-out and dirty sneakers to a hoodie riddled with fake lipstick and holes. The “Destroyed” model jacket seems to follow the same pattern, challenging the idea of what constitutes “style” and “value” in high fashion.

Balenciaga’s ‘destroyed’ model jacket, retailing at $950, has triggered a number of reactions across social media. The heavily distressed, almost unwearable-looking jacket, which apparently sold out within 24 hours, has left users both amused and appalled in equal measure.

On LinkedIn, reactions ranged from sarcasm to outright disbelief.

A user wrote, “If that’s the condition in which clothes can be considered valuable, I’m a millionaire,” mocking the idea that torn rags could be deemed luxury fashion.

Another said, “That is not only ridiculous ($950 for a literal rag?!?). It is just wrong. Whatever happened to valuing the good and the beautiful?”

Adding to the humour, another user joked, “I have a lot of these to clean the floors. I did not know they value so much. OMG, I am a millionaire.”

On X (formerly Twitter), users took a similar tone. One post read, “$400 buy a lawnmower. $10 buy a hoodie jacket, run over with mower, sell the jacket for $950,” ridiculing Balenciaga’s pricing and aesthetic choices.

But not all reactions were purely dismissive. Another detailed post offered an analytical take, suggesting that there are “two main kinds of buyers snapping up these $950 destroyed jackets.” According to the user, the first group comprises “status-seekers and fashion insiders” who view such pieces as “signals of taste, money and cultural fluency.” The second group, they noted, consists of “irony-driven, content-savvy buyers” who buy the item as “a commentary or meme in cloth form.”

Whether viewed as satire, social commentary or just extravagance, the buzz around Balenciaga’s Destroyed Model Jacket shows that controversy can often be a brand’s most effective marketing strategy.

https://www.vogue.com/article/balenciaga-dirty-sneaker-obsession?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://nypost.com/2025/01/24/lifestyle/balenciaga-slammed-for-pushing-1190-valentines-day-hoodie-riddled-with-fake-lipstick-and-holes-trash/?utm_source=chatgpt.com