Fashion Fans Mercilessly Mock Balenciaga’s Crumpled $1,800 Wallet: ‘It Looks Like a Joke’

Balenciaga is famous for its controversial designs, but this one may be the most mocked yet as fashion fans blast the design house for making an $1,800 chip wallet.

This isn’t the first time the Spanish luxury fashion house has launched kitschy junk food-inspired accessories.

Balenciaga previously offered an $1,800 handbag shaped exactly like an old bag of Lay’s chips, and now there’s a matching wallet that many reviewers say looks like it belongs in the trash and not the runway.

Instagram account Fashion Bomb Daily shared a video looking at the portfolio and asked its followers: “Hphew! Or Hmm…?’

Followers were shocked by the high price, comparing the wallet to a bag of wipes and saying the crinkled material didn’t look luxurious at all.

One disgruntled fashionista wrote: “I want luxury brands to become luxury again. They’re trying to compete with basic fast fashion and it’s getting ridiculous.

“Imagine leaving this at a concert and people throwing it away because they think it’s trash,” read another popular comment.

“They will sell you anything,” remarked one fashion fan.

“I am convinced that these versions are just social experiments for now,” was another comment.

However, not everyone looked down on the wild version of the wallet, with one fan writing: “I’m not the only one in the comments who thinks this is pretty cool.”

India-based Instagram account Luxurious by MM also gave its 402,000 followers a sneak peek at the wallet, explaining: “Balenciaga unveils its latest chip bag-inspired wallets as part of the Summer 2025 collection, building on the buzz from their viral $1,800. debut in the bag of chips,” and asking, “What do you think of this bold piece?”

Commenters questioned who would buy the wallets, called the brand a social experiment and said the celebrity-beloved brand tested people’s intelligence.

One commenter said the wild posts seemed like “a joke at this point”, while another accused the brand of being a “money laundering company”.

One commenter joked: “Very thoughtful of the designers, because now you don’t have to worry about thieves and pickpockets.” However, no one will grab that bag of chips.

“Can someone ban this brand? » asked one hater.

“Fire your designers,” one commenter said, accusing Balenciaga designer Demna of having the “creativity of a five-year-old.”

Balenciaga has often been in hot water, and not just because of its controversial designs, which include a handbag with a built-in glove and a nearly $4,000 neon “construction worker” jacket.

In 2022, the Spanish brand caused major controversy on social media by using images of children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage gear in its Christmas campaign.