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Balmain has made its first foray into the world of sneakers.
The shoes were first seen on Friday on the runway at the Balmain Men’s SS20 show and will go on sale for the first time today, at a pop-up in London’s Selfridges.
Set within The Corner Shop, just behind the iconic department store’s Oxford Street windows, the Balmain pop-up will have the entire sneaker collection on display, alongside a selection of clothing and other accessories from the spring/summer 2020 men’s collection.
"I live in sneakers, so I wanted to give people a bit of my own wardrobe," said Balmain's creative director, Olivier Rousteing, when the Evening Standard caught up with him a few hours before the launch.
“Sneakers give a more affordable entry point to the Balmain brand, and I am very focussed on inclusivity, on democratising fashion.”
And of the decision to debut his sneakers in London over Paris? “London is one of our biggest markets, we have a huge crowd here and its less traditional than Paris, people are more experimental here.”
A host of artists will also be on hand to personalise the shoes in store with graffiti, metal studs and Japanese graphics – all strong themes from Balmain’s recent collections.
Going forward, Balmain plans to expand its sneaker offering, with limited edition colours and women’s styles in the pipeline.
Balmain’s pop-up is open now at Selfridges London until July 7. Head to the balmain.com for more information.