Brand: Balenciaga x Crocs
Model: Madame 80mm Mule
Release Date: October 27
Buy: Balenciaga's website and stores
Price: $625
Editor's Notes: The Croc to end 'em all is finally here. Balenciaga's ultra-divisive heeled Croc has launched and Croc-tober can actually begin in earnest, even though Crocs Day was last week.
First seen earlier this year — alongside a mighty Crocs boot — the Crocs heel is apparently called the "Madame," a suitably dainty name for the hilariously imbalanced clog balanced atop a slim 80mm (3-inch) heel.
Even for Balenciaga's out-there Crocs collabs, the Madame Mule is a pretty imposing creation.
Remember those platform Crocs that Balenciaga first showed in 2017? It's fair to say that the Madame makes them look tame — heck, those platform Crocs look positively de rigueur by now, which just goes to show creative director Demna Gvasalia's gift for predicting and even shaping trends, if not taste in general.
The platform Crocs are even coming back in heavy-duty form for Spring/Summer 2022, just to demonstrate that Balenciaga knew it was onto a good thing way before everyone else.
Crocs, like Balenciaga itself, is on a real hot streak in 2021: the company's signature clogs have become the de facto do-everything shoe after everyone adopted Crocs clogs as their perfect stay-home slip-on and its stock price has soared accordingly.
Co-signed by Kanye, other big-name celebs, and even tastemaking streetwear imprints, Crocs is — to put it mildly — winning.
"Our clog serves as a blank canvas that can fuel the latest trends or conversations," Crocs senior VP of global product and marketing, Michelle Poole, told Highsnobiety. "This is why we think we’re becoming more relevant in the streetwear space."
Even if you find Balenciaga's Madame Mules to be one clog over the line, they're clearly clicking for Balenciaga fans: the high-heeled mules nearly sold out in mere hours.
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