6 luxury brands selling bizarre fashion products at whopping prices

Luxury brands often come under public scrutiny for their soaring prices on basic items.

These high-end brands have faced backlash for selling minimal necessary items at exorbitant prices, often marketing them as luxury products.

From Balenciaga’s tape bracelet to trendy bathroom slippers sold in Saudi Arabia, let’s take a quick look at how reputed fashion brands exploit their customers in the name of ‘luxury.’

A high-end retail outlet in Kuwait recently caught the attention of netizens after a video surfaced showing ‘trendy sandals’—essentially white and blue strap bathroom slippers—being sold for a whopping price of 4,500 Riyals, approximately $1,200 . These slippers, usually worn in households to the washroom, sparked laughter and shock due to their sky-high price.

Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga drew criticism for selling a plain white paper bag for $2,145, branding it as a ‘knockoff deal.’ The bag, sold at Ikea, turned a $1 carry bag into a high-priced shopping tote bag, costing Rs 1,79,140. Despite the audacity to charge such a price, the bag sold out quickly.

Silvia Venturini Fendi faced backlash for designing clutch bags shaped like loaves of French baguettes. Showcased in her 2023 Winter-Fall menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week, these bags, priced around Rs 1,09,000, soon became the subject of internet mockery.

Balenciaga, known for its experimental fashion, was heavily trolled online for its Paris Sneaker collection. This line featured 100 pairs of limited edition, fully destroyed sneakers. Priced at USD 1,850, approximately Rs 48,279, these sneakers looked as if they were excavated from an ancient site or a landfill, leading to widespread internet ridicule.

Gucci faced criticism for creating distressed stockings sold at a whopping $190, around Rs 14,170. These torn and distressed black thigh-high stockings quickly sold out despite their absurd appearance, leading many to wonder who would purchase such items.

Luxury label Prada once unveiled a sweater resembling a block of cheese. This bizarre sweater, listed on the brand’s official website, featured an ‘openwork viscose turtleneck’ design. Its striking resemblance to yellow cheese with symmetrical holes looked absurd, even on the model, and was priced at £905, around Rs 90,656.

Luxury fashion often blurs the line between creativity and absurdity, with high-end brands continuing to push the boundaries of what consumers are willing to pay for unique, albeit bizarre, fashion items.