ABOUT

Background
In May 2022, Balenciaga launched a limited edition collection of “fully-destroyed sneakers”. These were literally run-down shoes, with battered rubber and severe rippings all over the fabric, selling for 1450€.
The collection made the headlines of the fashion world and, without surprise, the internet had thoughts. Soon enough, it drew all kinds of reactions and criticism on social media. Comments such as “I can find those in the garbage can for free”, “paying thousands to look poor” or “how far can fashion go in the quest for luxury?” reflected the outrage with the brand’s aesthetic choice.
With the debate this collection started, we saw an opportunity to shift the conversation to the reality of those who have no other option but to wear destroyed shoes: the homeless.

Creative idea
To raise awareness for the problem of homelessness, we decided to launch our own limited edition. In partnership with Leger des Heils, the Dutch arm of the Salvation Army, we created “Truly Destroyed”, a collection of truly worn-out shoes, by real people living on the streets.
Each pair of shoes is named after the person who wore them and the product details give context to the hardships they’ve been exposed to, such as “not waterproof”, “freezing winter worn-out effect”, “painful fit” or ”unsuitable for all weather types”. But the key aspect of our idea is that we would make our collection look exactly like the Balenciaga one.

Strategy
Homelessness is not a new topic. Unfortunately, it’s easy to stop paying attention to it, especially when it’s often addressed in ways that feel same-same or make you look away. On the other hand, people are all over controversial fashion launches.
Our strategy was to reverse the conversation around the Balenciaga collection in favour of our message. But to tap into this cultural phenomenon and create impact, we couldn’t simply react to Balenciaga; to make people pay renewd attention to the topic, an average campaign wouldn’t cut it. So we decided to play Balenciaga’s game and create our own collection, with truly worn-out shoes, but completely mimicking the original one. The similarity and contrast would help us reach an audience who consumes and follows fashion but also take it beyond that world.