Why TRASHION is the UGLIEST trend of all
As Balenciaga charges €1,450 for a pair of beaten-up trainers, fashion guru LYNNE FRANKS says they’re just one example of designers cashing in on a style as cynical as it is insensitive
THE fashion industry has always had its crazy moments. I should know; as the founder of London Fashion Week, I’ve been at the forefront of fashion PR for many years and seen endless trends come and go.
I wasn’t a fan of the Liz Hurley safety pin evening dress era, when expensive designers such as Versace tried to look punk. And the ‘naked’ look by Jean Paul Gaultier, popular with many celebrities, is not really my cup of tea.
Yet even I have never seen anything quite like the latest mind-boggling craze, where some of the world’s top fashion designers are charging a small fortune for items that look as if they have come straight out of a skip. It’s almost as if the more expensive a fashion piece is, the cheaper it has to look.
The latest such item is Balenciaga’s €1,450 ‘Paris Sneakers’, a pair of dirty trainers that look as if they’ve been pulled through a hedge backwards – and then a couple more times for good measure. Needless to say, they have not gone down well with everyone, with terms like ‘offensive’ and ‘disgusting’ being thrown about by fashionistas and normal shoppers alike.
And I tend to agree with them. Quite frankly, this trend for so-called high trashion – because Balenciaga is not the only designer culprit by far – is the most insensitive fashion statement I have ever seen.
At a time when so many people are suffering, worrying how they can pay for food and heating, it’s a huge insult for fashion designers to promote this ‘trashed’ look to their millionaire customers. I am not suggesting that wealthy people go around covered with bling, but surely trying to look poor and paying a fortune for it is just beyond any realms of good taste.
This is not Balenciaga’s first foray into trashion. Under the creative vision of Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia, who’s been at the helm since 2015, they also offer the rich a selection of ‘destroyed’ sweaters and hoodies that look like they’ve been attacked by gigantic moths and start at €950.
In March, they released a €995 bag that bore a striking resemblance to a retro Tesco carrier bag, and last year a pair of €1,100 baggy trousers, which appeared to have boxers visible at the waistband, divided opinion.
They join a whole list of trashed items promoted by the designer industry. Balmain’s €1,500 khaki T-shirt is full of holes; a Louis Vuitton monogrammed ‘rubbish’ bag for over €1,800; Dolce & Gabbana €550 paint-spotted trainers; Gucci’s grass-stained-effect men’s jeans for €680 and pre-scuffed trainers for €800.
PERHAPS they think they’re creating ‘art’, or making a clever comment about fast-fashion culture. Perhaps the trend for trashion is meant to be some kind of political statement on poverty, or a response to the war in Ukraine. Or perhaps, the fashion houses are just trying to be controversial for the sake of publicity. Whatever their reasons, it is not clever to patronise shoppers in the name of design — or even art. In fact, it is a form of elitism that shames the fashion industry. All that clothes like these prove is that some people will buy anything if it has a designer name and eyewatering price tag, no matter how ridiculous.
Thankfully, among everyday shoppers there is an enormous upswing towards conscious consumerism, women who – rather than splashing out on something new – are adapting their existing wardrobes or scouring vintage markets and charity shops.
Take retail guru Mary Portas’s stylish chain of Save The Children charity shops, Mary’s Living & Giving, where you’ll find pre-loved designer fashion that is in much better condition than Balenciaga’s destroyed trainers. Plus the money goes to a great cause.
So, to those who are tempted to fall prey to the ludicrous fashion for trashion, I would advise – in the words of Vivienne Westwood –don’t keep buying the latest trend. Buy treasures that you really will keep for ever.