Balenciaga has released a new outerwear item, and it certainly makes a bold statement. This jacket, called the “Destroyed Jacket,” showcases holes, tattered edges, loose threads, and distressed material. Despite its unconventional look, it carries a luxury price tag.
The piece is priced at $950, which roughly translates to about ₦1,380,825 here in Nigeria. This means you are paying well over a million Naira for a jacket that looks like it has already been through a rough ride. But guess what? The jacket’s first batch sold out within 24 hours of launch.
What Exactly Is the Design?
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Based on what can be seen, the design features a bomber-style shape with significant distressing throughout the body and sleeves, variously sized holes, threads intentionally left hanging, and perhaps a faded fabric or washed-out colour to enhance the worn aesthetic.
The tagline could read: “Pre-worn, yet premium.” The contrast is clear. Balenciaga’s approach here embraces deconstruction, a fashion design language where the construction appears deliberately exposed, raw, or unfinished in appearance.
This design highlights a modern view in fashion where flaws and irregularities are celebrated instead of concealed. It shifts the idea of luxury to focus on individuality and authenticity rather than perfect appearances. It also encourages wearers to showcase their unique style, turning each item into more than just clothing but a statement about personal expression and the ever-changing world of fashion.
What’s in Balenciaga’s Mindset?
Balenciaga seems to be playing several cards at once, and we believe it is very easy to decipher. By making a piece that looks cheap or second-hand but charging top-tier prices, they are saying luxury is about brand, context, and story, not just the condition of the piece.
If you design something weird or unexpected, it’s definitely going to be talked about. The more people question, share, laugh, and screenshot your design, the more free marketing you get, and I think Balenciaga has cracked this.
There is an aspect of “what is value?” built into this piece. Is it materials, brand, labour, or the story you are wearing? This is the question and conversation the destroyed look prompts. In streetwear circles, worn-out items are seen as authentic. Balenciaga is taking a version of that and placing it firmly in the luxury market.
Here Is What People Are Saying
If there is one thing Balenciaga wants from this drop, then it must be reactions. And yes, they are getting it. People’s reactions are a mix of admiration, absolute disbelief, satire and of course, social media frenzy.
Some are saying why pay so much for holes? Others are saying their tailors could have done that. And some are impressed that someone has the financial freedom and boldness to buy and wear something so intentionally destroyed.
For lifestyle and culture readers, it becomes a talking point, judging the relationship between luxury and local expectations. In many Nigerian contexts, spending big means brand new and in perfect condition. This challenges that norm, and these kinds of reactions fuel the piece’s visibility, which is exactly what Balenciaga likely anticipated.
The Balenciaga “Destroyed Jacket” may look like something you find in a second-hand store, a rag in a Nigerian home, or something done by a DIY fashion experiment gone wrong, yet its price tag tells you this is luxury’s new frontier. It is a luxury piece that looks used, costs serious money, and sparks a global conversation. Yet people line up, and actually, that is most likely Balenciaga’s original intention.
