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In between overseeing Kanye’s merch, creative director Demna Gvasalia has apparently been masterminding post-hypebeast home goods, as evidenced by Balenciaga‘s newest Objects drop.
Given the futuristic name, the Balenciaga Laser Cube, available on Balenciaga’s website for $650, is appreciably space-age in appearance. It’s a see-through box fitted with an optical illusion, an internal 3D image shaped by lasers (hence the name) to create the effect of a floating sneaker.
Inside, a detailed rendering of one of Balenciaga’s signature sneakers — the Triple S, Track, Tyrex, or X-Pander — appears below its stylized name and Balenciaga branding.
The shoes trapped inside each Laser Cube do bear a striking resemblance to the real deal. Considering that real Balenciaga sneakers retail for up to and over $1,000, they might just be the next best thing to displaying luxury sneakers throughout your abode, if that’s the kinda interior design you get down with. On the other hand, $650 for the fancy version of those illusion money banks is pretty extra. Plus it doesn’t even store change!
It’s all part of Balenciaga’s world-building. With immersive runway shows, ample celeb co-signs, and internet-breaking crossovers under its belt, the Gvasalia-led house has begun to tread into the rarified space of all-inclusive branding usually occupied by more street-leaning brands like Supreme.
Not more than a few years ago, it was crucial for streetwear types to deck out their spaces in logoed-up toys and bricks. As the barrier between luxury and street brands wholly disintegrated, though, so to did the desire to display mere Bogos.
Now, catch hip, youthful types delicately arranging their Aimé Leon Dore jars, JJJJOUND blankets, and NBHD candles around their Virgil Abloh furniture.
Balenciaga’s Laser Box speaks to that love of wealth-conveying logos, while its clean presentation is more mature than, say, a toy car. The brand’s boundary-breaking sneakers have enjoyed ample crossover appeal, so who says they can’t step into the realm of art?