Fashion giant River Island has been adored by its loyal fans for its purse-friendly, catwalk-inspired designs.
But despite widespread ridicule over Balenciaga’s ‘sleeping bag coat’, the high street retailer has pushed ahead with its own version for its latest collection in collaboration with Ashish.
The edgy design, which has divided social media users, is a pink padded coat priced at £180, complete with a detachable blanket.
One bemused shopper took to twitter saying: ‘Wtf is this @riverisland who gave this the go ahead loool’.
And despite being on the higher end price point of the high street stores usual selection, the questionable design is already running low on sizes, with large no longer available online.
River Island shoppers have shared divided views of the stores new £180 winter wear
One Twitter user mocked the store questioning who gave the go ahead for the quirky design
The purchase page on the River Island site greets shoppers with: ‘Selling Fast! 28 bagged in the last few days’.
The store describes the coat as an oversized puffer with cuffed sleeves with the care description revealing it is composed from 100% polyester.
One response the brand received after sharing the design on Instagram said: ‘Ugliest thing I have ever seen, might as well throw the quilt around your shoulders and walk the street’
Meanwhile on Twitter another said: ‘Imagine this when leaving a club and waiting for a taxi, coat n a sleeping bag’.
River Island received a flood of negative responses to the coat after posting it on their Instagram as well as across Twitter
In addition to the design being slammed by the shops fans, the price has also come under fire by baffled fashion followers.
One Instagram user said: ‘I like your thinking RI but I’m pretty sure I could just go to Go Outdoor stitch on some sleeves and save some money’
Another posted: ‘Some fashion baffles me. I can’t believe it’s real… and £180’.
Some fashion followers took to Instagram to sarcastically question the price of the sleeping bag coat
A small selection of bloggers and influencers have embraced the retailers quirky sleeping bag coat with some choosing to model it for their own followers.
One Twitter user said: ‘I’d wear it, I’m always cold.’
Whilst another shared their own blog post offering styling advice of the coat stating: ‘This walking bed coat is fab’.
River Island has not yet directly responded to the wave of negative responses received on its social media.
A selection of fashion bloggers and influencers shared appreciation for the coat on their social platforms in response to the mainstream backlash