Balenciaga’s SS21 show was Demna Gvasalia ‘s finest sinister exhibition. The show gave us thrilling techno beats, dark streets, and 59 looks that funneled everyone’s post-pandemic mood to fashion: comfort over everything.
The Balenciaga show also gave us our first look at the X-Pander, the new sneaker style in the fashion house. Like Track and Track 2 before it, the X-Pander has a distinct ’90s or early ’00s aesthetics to it.
The mesh base gives way to a mixed-material overlay. As far as the style is concerned, there’s nothing in the top sneaker that yells Balenciaga — or luxury, for that matter. However, it’s the sole unit that sticks out. The sneaker heel is positioned on the spring, which extends the Inspector Gadget style with each move.
Balenciaga has been popular for its crazy sneaker styles, beginning with the ultra-chunky Triple S and most recently the FW20 water shoe, the Zen sneaker or the Tyrex shoe. However, in terms of features, the X-Pander appears to be the craziest.
