Balenciaga Has a New Viral Shoe Style: Meet the Reptile Sneaker
Ahead of Balenciaga’s fall 2024 ready-to-wear runway show on Sunday in Paris, the brand sneaker designer Qianbeini uploaded a video of a new Reptile-named sneaker onto Instagram. The design features a layered upper, fused sole components and a worn-out effect. It has been quickly reposted online, going viral to divided opinions.
Yet, the sneaker was not to be found on the fall 2024 ready-to-wear runway. Of the presentation’s 68 looks, not one featured the Reptile sneaker. The general silhouette was present in footwear like a Supersoft Derby as well as the Pasadena Loafer. Both featured elongated, pointed-toe boxes that pointed up. It’s a shape Demna has worked with before.
The Derby style was previously seen in a Balenciaga couture show where it was dubbed the Opera Derby. For the spring 2024 show, the label showcased a Romeo Mule which also featured an elongated, curved toe bed, though it was more square than the Reptile’s. This week’s collection also featured a mule, dubbed the Louis XV Mule that was pointed and featured a floppy bow made of ribbons as seen in look 60.
With all of the various styles of footwear for fall 2024, there were some standouts. A bulbous Stomper boot was presented in black — the massive shape was similar to some of the oversized furry boots a few of the front-row attendees wore.
The label also showed its “New Wader” boot, which seemed like its own version of the pant-boots seen at Sacai. The Wader is an on-trend encased stiletto-turned-boot. Other brands like McQueen have done encased stilettos this season.
The show also featured Balenciaga’s Destroyed Avenue Pantashoe. That footwear seems to be Balenciaga’s second-skin knee-high Avenue style, made to resemble ripped tights. The original Avenue boot style was also seen on the runway, landing Balenciaga squarely on trend with other second-skin boots we’ve seen in Milan and Paris from Ferragamo, Acne Studios and more.
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