Balenciaga has moved production of one of its popular sneakers from Italy to China, and some customers are not happy about it.
Balenciaga’s Triple S ‘American-style oversized trainers’ were a huge hit upon their release in 2017, quickly becoming a coveted accessory for athleisure street style fans.
But this month, customers noticed that the words ‘Made in Italy’ on the label had been replaced with ‘Made in China,’ leading many to speculate on what the shift means.
And they’re gone! Balenciaga’s Triple S sneakers are so popular that every run since their fall 2017 release has sold out
Ciao! The $850 shoes, like most Balenciaga pieces, were made in Italy
Moving: However, some customers have noticed that their new versions were made in China
Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia first released the Triple S for $795 on September 21 of last year, and it was a fast fan favorite.
The chunky color-block sneakers were designed with a deliberately worn-in look and have since been released in several color options.
Initially, the shoes — which have since gone up in price to $850 — were made in Italy, where most of Balenciaga’s clothes and accessories are manufactured. (Some pieces are also made in France.)
Yet earlier this month, a customer was surprised to see something different printed on the label of the shoes he’d purchased at a Beverly Hills store.
Though Balenciaga’s website sill has images of the sneakers with ‘Made in Italy’ labels, Reddit user Piggehdoom found that his label read ‘Made in China,’ and posted a photo on Imgur for evidence.
‘I bought a pair yesterday at a Balenciaga store and when I got home I noticed they were made in China,’ he wrote on January 10.
That’s right: A customer service representative confirmed to a Redditor that the shoe’s manufacturer moved
Not updated: However, images of the shoe n Balenciaga’s site still have a Made in Italy label
‘They have slight differences from the Italian ones,’ he went on. ‘The retail price was exactly the same and I was pretty shocked when I found out Balenciaga had changed the manufacturer.’
When quizzed on the subject, the Reddit user admitted that the quality ‘doesn’t feel all that different,’ but added: ‘It’s just a weird move to make especially without telling anyone.’
He went on to contact customer service, which confirmed that production had moved to China.
‘The Triple S were initially made in Italy but the manufacturer of the shoe was moved to China where they have a savoir-faire and capacities to produce a lighter shoe,’ a representative replied.
Several commenters pointed out that just because something is made in China does not mean it is of inferior quality.
Not happy: Some shoppers think Balenciaga should have publicized the change
They’ve also tried to figure out if there are any differences. Some have said the versions made in China have less distressing (which is a bad thing, since the shoes are meant to look worn)
Around the same time, YouTuber LSAVER ftw posted a video of himself ‘unboxing’ new Balenciaga shoes and pointing out that his had been made in China as well.
‘That was a little disappointing to see after paying nearly $1,00 for these,’ he said, prompting more discussing about the quality in the comments.
‘One thing that I noticed after comparing [the ones made in China] with [the] made in Italy version is the distress is not as heavy,’ wrote one.
‘The distressing is much more detailed on the Italy version,’ the YouTuber agreed. ‘China version is suppose to be a bit lighter, but I did notice on the new pairs ur foot kinda moves around a bit, the OG version definitely feels and fits a bit better.’
‘The “made in China” production change is absolutely outrageous,’ complained another. ‘They should now lower the price then, since that was one of the reasons for the 650€ price tag.’