The French haute couture brand surprised everyone by bringing back the ugly trainers.

The whole purpose of these runners is to redefine the standards of beauty. Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s creative director, purposely crossed the line. He wanted to create something which would not live up to the expectations of his fashionable clientele but would exceed the boundaries of their imagination and make them think about what ‘beauty’ stands for. His philosophical approach of fashion and shoemaking has propelled the brand to a whole new level. Gvasalia has established a new era in the fashion industry, which for once does not revolve around what we commonly know as beautiful. In an interview he admitted being flattered when people called his creations ugly.

The Triple S are reminiscent of the tedious and kitschy Sketcher’s Energy worn back in 90’s. The design is an amalgam of a rubber outsole, a mesh and leather snippets. More surprisingly is that the runners seem worn-out.

Even though the Triple S have been highly criticized on social media, the trainers have met a huge success. Gvasalia’s audacity has payed off. Many celebrities were spotted wearing these particular shoes. Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Jaden Smith and blogger and fashion designer Chiara Ferragni rocked the sporty look with these funny-looking ‘dad’ trainers.

Each pair retails for €795 (approximatively $980 USD). The items are already sold out on Balenciaga’s online store.

Beside the grandpa trainers, Balenciaga unveiled another bizarre collaboration during the Paris FW in 2017, the Balenciaga x Croc’s Platform Clogs.

These sky-high crocs are accented with multicolored pins and come with a nice price tag, €690 ($850 USD). Like the aforementioned runners, it was only a matter of time before the shoes were sold out. If you want to get your hands on this subversive pair of shoes you can buy the last Crocs at Barneys New York.