Of all the strange items that Balenciaga has produced under Demna’s tenure, the Balenciaga Towel Skirt might be the most outrageous. But fear not, as those who want to be dripping in towelling no longer have to splash £695 on the cosy Spring 24 runway number, as IKEA is offering up its £10 VINARN bath towel as alternative fashionista drip.
Put by IKEA itself, the VINARN “has a striking resemblance to the skirt, at a fraction of the price of the designer version.” Indeed it does, also coming in light grey with wraparound functionality… because it is a towel.
Of course, this is not the first time that IKEA and Balenciaga have scrubbed each other’s backs. Cast your mind back to 2017, when Demna and his team dished up a £1,600 iteration of the iconic IKEA FRAKTA bag. It came as no surprise, as this was the beginning of Balenciaga’s era of subversion, following on from the divisive bag design with some frankly absurd items — like the Trash Bag bag, pine tree air freshener accessories, or the heeled Crocs.
On the other hand, IKEA is no stranger to dipping its toe into the fashion sphere. It previously collaborated with Virgil Abloh for the “MARKERAD” collection, making a statement with home pieces like the receipt rug, and IKEA has also been the subject of upcycling — remember when hypebeasts were making FRAKTA bag-based hats, before IKEA dropped its own KNORVA bucket?
So, the question is: will you be copping IKEA’s VINARN towel this season, wrapping it around some baggy jeans and heading to a Fashion Week near you, or will you stick to the controversial Balenciaga Towel Skirt?
Head over to IKEA to cop the towel (skirt?) now.
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