Balenciaga’s Triple S silhouette was hands down the most popular chunky sneaker of 2017, and despite forthcoming chunky kicks from Dior Homme and Margiela, Balenciaga’s version is still arguably the peak of the trend. Fans of the sneaker, however, will be surprised to know that newly released editions are now made in China, rather than Italy.

The move came as a shock to many who shelled out a steep retail price of $850, as the change in manufacturer was not explicitly disclosed or announced by Balenciaga.

“Made in Italy” comes with certain connotations, as does made in China – deserved or not – and it’s these perceived connotations and notions of craftsmanship and quality that influence millions of buying decisions every day. Reactions on the web are less than positive, as reviews from Reddit and YouTube are taking a dissatisfactory tone after the manufacturing change.

YouTube user mynameis grave notes “The ‘made in China’ production change is absolutely outrageous. They should now lower the price.”

Another YouTube comment from danny longa reads “Looks like they’re paying the same factories making balenciaga reps to manufacture for them. The quality went dramatically down now it matches replica quality.”

One Reddit user posted pictures of his pair online, and he claims the shoes feature stitching imperfections. The response on the online forum was mixed, as some users were disappointed by the switch, while others did not see a problem.

Most agreed that it was the lack of communication by Balenciaga that was a problem. Check out a selection of the comments below.

The bottom line is, certain customers are voicing discontent with the new, made-in-China product.

When contacted by the Reddit user above, Balenciaga customer service responded with the following statement: “Thank you for your email. The Triple S were initially made in Italy but the manufacturer of the shoe was moved to China where they have a savoir-faire and capacities to produce a lighter shoe.”

Other

At time of publishing, Balenciaga’s official store does not indicate that the shoes are made in China and still features product shots of the Made in Italy edition. Balenciaga was not immediately available for comment.

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Words by Fabian Gorsler Sportswear Editor Bean-eating content machine!