Balenciaga, currently helmed by Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia, has built a close relationship with other luxury and sportswear brands over the past years through a plethora of collaborative efforts with the likes of Gucci, Adidas, Vibram, Crocs and more.
Here, FN takes a closer look at Balenciaga’s shoe collaborations through the years.
Gvasalia first linked with Crocs for Balenciaga’s spring 2018 collection, sending models down the catwalk in colorful Crocs featuring giant stacked platforms and cartoonish Jibbitz charms that included flowers, shooting stars, peace signs, and the Balenciaga logo. The styles sold out in record time.
Its second collaboration with the polarizing comfort shoe brand introduced clunky rainboot styles, pool slides and Kelly green high-heeled clogs. All over again, the two brands teaming up to create head-turning foam molded footwear had the fashion set talking.
The same year, Demna Gvasalia made major waves with the debut of “Hardcrocs,” another style boasting a massive sole adorned with Balenciaga-stamped metal hardware. Stars like Elliot Page, Justin Bieber and Lewis Hamilton showcased the unorthodox shoes.
Continuing with the collaboration, styles currently available on Balenciaga’s website include the sporty Pool Crocs, the cyber gothic Hardcrocs mule, glossy patent rubber boots, and mules dressed in faux fur.
In 2020, Balenciaga and footwear brand Vibram presented the “Toe” collection. The quirky range consisted of two limited-edition sneaker styles and a high-heeled bootie, all rendered in a recycled knit material with Vibram’s patented FiveFingers shoe design.
The luxury brand also joined forces with Adidas Originals, debuting its collaboration at the Balenciaga spring 2023 runway show. The collection included remixed renditions of two of Balenciaga’s most iconic sneaker silhouettes, the Triple S and the Speed Sock.
The chunky sneakers received the Adidas treatment with the German athletic brand’s signature Three Stripes and Trefoil logos. Both were offered in various colorways including blue and red versions.
An Adidas x Balenciaga Stan Smith sneaker was released on the same day, Nov. 3, 2022. Coming in white and green as well as monochrome black, the classic shoe was given a distinct worn-in appearance.
In 2023, a new Adidas x Balenciaga silhouette dropped. The sneaker fused the upper of Adidas’ retro Forum basketball model with design elements from Balenciaga’s Track Runner. They released high and low-top versions.
Another 2022 partnership saw Balenciaga and fellow Kering brand Gucci collaborate on a co-branded range deemed “The Hacker Project.” The name came from Gucci’s Alessandro Michele “hacking” some of Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga House codes. The lineup included several Gucci-fied versions of the Triple S as well as different co-branded takes on Balenciaga’s Knife boots and pumps.
