Episode 106 - IS BALENCIAGA'S 'DISTRESSED' R30 000 SNEAKER ART OR EXPENSIVE TRASH?

IS BALENCIAGA'S 'DISTRESSED' R30 000 SNEAKER ART OR EXPENSIVE
TRASH?

I hosted an energetic debate about a controversial
limited-edition sneaker released by Balenciaga. The 'distressed'
design, looking like very dirty, well-worn shoes that only
persons under conditions of extreme poverty may be reluctantly
compelled to wear, not having alternative choices, retails at
some $ 1,850.

Mikhail Brown, who writes on the politics of fashion, framed a
fascinating debate in Sunday Times recently
(https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2022-06-19-would-you-pay-r30k-for-dirty-broken-sneakers/
) on whether these dirty broken sneakers could be considered art.
He excavated the biography of the designer to make sense of what
the motivations were behind this work.

In this episode of In The Ring, gender activist Vanita Daniels (
Director of Rise Up Against Gender Based Violence) joined Brown
as fellow guests to discuss a myriad of issues.

Just some of the questions we explored included the following: Is
the design ugly? Can a sneaker be a work of art? Is functional
value an exclusionary criterion in determining what counts as
art? Does a motif that draws on the experiences of the poor, or
those of oppressed and vulnerable groups like homeless people and
refugees, count as unethical appropriation of their stories? Is
it wrong for a work of art to be priced exorbitantly when it
draws on struggle narrative? Is fashion necessary political? Or,
can I dress as I want without engaging issues of sustainability
and ethics? 

Enjoy!