Last year, Balenciaga held its fall 2021 Fashion Week show in a video game called
Afterworld: Age of Tomorrow. I got together with Emilia Petrarca, fashion news writer at The Cut, to talk about the collaboration, and she explained some of the history behind Balenciaga and its creative director, Demna Gvasalia — particularly that he’s also added a playful, disorienting touch to his collections and shows. “You’re not sure if it’s heaven or hell, or both, or a joke or dead serious,” Petrarca said.
That’s the first thing that came to mind when I saw Balenciaga’s new PlayStation 5 T-shirt, which retails for a price significantly higher than that of an