Luxury Spanish fashion house Balenciaga is stepping from the runway into new territory in vivid fashion: In fact, the just-launched Balenciaga Hike Sneakers were designed to go off-road, rather than just grace European Fashion Week outings.
The shape-shifting set of footwear takes its cues from traditional sports sneakers and hiking boots. with an expectedly unusual Balenciaga sort of twist in the form of a futuristic silhouette.
Futuristic is probably an understatement, because just like 2019’s $895 Balenciaga Track.2 Sneakers, this pair isn’t quite like any pair of kicks in your current rotation.
A mix of mesh, polyurethane and polyester in three different color combinations (beige-and-orange, a sleek all-black number and a fiery red-and-black combination) give these sneakers lightweight appeal and next-level traction (just check out the tread on the outsole). They’re built with a luxury price tag to match: Try $1,275 for a trail-ready footwear upgrade.
Even more impressive than the jaw-dropping price tag is the fact that they’re leather-free, while touches like a B logo debossed on the upper give them distinctive Balenciaga flair. Like other Balenciaga dad sneakers, they’ve got a bold, chunky silhouette that HighSnobiety says “blends techy features with Balenciaga’s outlandish design codes and outdoorsy vibes.”
With designer chops and a surprising amount of outdoor-ready function, these kicks will still likely serve their wearer better on city streets than far off the grid on a rocky trail, but they’ve got similar chops to many a hybrid sneaker- boot. If that seems worth the $1,200-plus price tag, consider taking ’em for a spin somewhere else besides your next weekend coffee outing.
