Fashion sneaker diehards, gear up: Today is the day that Balenciaga is releasing its new Track shoe to the U.S.
First shown at the brand’s fall ’18 runway show at Paris Fashion Week in February, the sneaker is the highly anticipated follow-up to the mother (well, the father) of all dad shoes, the Triple S.
The sneaker, designed by artistic director Demna Gvasalia, comes in five colorways for men and two for women and incorporates elements of hiking and running shoes, with an extended tread and protective panels.
The brand debuted the sneaker first at Selfridges in London this month, with a takeover of the department store’s Corner Shop from Sept. 3 to 23. But as of today, it will be available exclusively at Balenciaga’s men’s store in New York’s Soho, at the brand’s Rodeo Drive flagship in Los Angeles and Miami’s Design District boutique and also online. While it won’t disclose specific numbers, a brand representative said it will be releasing a limited quality of the shoe, and only the L.A. shop and online will carry the women’s styles.
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The truncated release is a sure indication that Balenciaga is looking to slowly build the buzz and, quickly, the demand for the shoe. It could be a similar trajectory to that of the Triple S, which debuted last September but reached peak cult status in 2018.
The success of the Triple S has helped Balenciaga to be Kering Group’s fastest-growing brand this year, with millennials accounting for about 60 percent of sales. “There’s not a dinner I go to where a father or someone [doesn’t] say, ‘Stop releasing these shoes. It’s out of control; we spend too much money at Balenciaga,’ which I’m very happy with,” he said at a Financial Times luxury goods conference in May.
Buy the sneaker online here.
