Balenciaga's Futuristic X-Pander Is Available for Pre-Order

Demna Gvasalia presented his Balenciaga Summer 2021 collection on the streets of Paris, debuting a largely sustainable collection to the soundtrack of BFRND’s cover of Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.” It was an eerie, futuristic, technical and yet, in Balenciaga‘s typical form, somewhat ordinary affair, but within the Summer 2021 collection were plenty of pieces that were far from ordinary: such as the X-Pander.

Now, Balenciaga has opened pre-order forms for its divisive X-Pander sneaker. Available in “Burgundy,” “White,” “Black,” “Gray/Green,” and “Yellow/Gray/Black,” the leather-free shoe comes in a variety of colorways that make the daring silhouette more wearable for the safer fashion vanguards among us, as well as ones that make the shoe stand out more than it already does.

It’s an unmissable and quintessentially Balenciaga pair, following a long line of technical sneakers from the Gvasalia-helmed label. Presenting itself as an elevation of its futuristic footwear offerings, the X-Pander features a distinctive suspended heel design with a 40mm arch that compresses when stepped upon, looking like the sort of running shoes the early 2000s expected to see in the era of 2021.

Elsewhere we see nods to previous shoes such as the Track Sneaker, as the toe box and mesh base is quite similar to that pair. The upper continues to use mesh throughout its design, while overlaying panels made from nylon and rubber add a further technical look to the upper. In exchange for the “BB” logo that frequented previous sneakers, the X-Pander sports a modern “B” on the toe and vamp, and sizing has now been moved to the heel alongside Balenciaga branding on the sole unit at the rear.

Balenciaga’s X-Pander is now available for pre-order online and costs £975 GBP in the U.K. or $1,250 USD in the United States. Take a closer look at the various colorways above.

For more technical footwear, check out the all-new Nike Offline 2.0. in black.