Balenciaga’s New $2,650 Tote Is Made Completely out of Shoelaces

You’ve got to hand it to Demna Gvasalia: He knows how to create a viral hit. In all of its 99 years of existence, nowhere has Balenciaga seen this much buzz since the Georgian designer’s first collection at the helm nearly two years ago.

There was that giant red puffer (which promptly ushered in a new renaissance for the once-taboo jacket), the pant-shoe hybrid aptly coined “pantashoes,” the controversial Ikea-inspired tote with the asking price of $2,145, the sold-out Triple S sneakers (that sparked internet outrage after consumers learned that its manufacturing moved from Italy to China) and, now, a bag woven from shoelaces.

The carryall made its debut on the spring ’18 men’s runway, and instead of using traditional warm-weather materials like straw, raffia or canvas, Gvasalia put his signature streetwear spin on it with shoelaces. For one, he intertwined patterned lime, green and black laces to achieve a cool, trippy effect (side note: patterned shoelaces are on track to becoming a trend for fall ’18), and for another, he stuck with an all-white colorway. And each bag not only boasts the brand’s gold metal double-B logo, but the interior is left unfinished to form a playful shoelace fringe.

Not unlike Gvasalia’s buzzy hits before it, we expect to find the shoelace tote in the hands of street-style stars, influencers and celebrities (and maybe even sneakerheads?) come spring — even with the wild $2,650 price tag. As of now, only the black colorway is available; shop the style below.