Balenciaga Drops Its Chunky and Distressed Runner Sneaker

Demna Gvasalia‘s Balenciaga is not finished with the chunky dad sneaker trend as it has just dropped its latest silhouette: the Runner.

Available in triple black, all white, or a standout “White/Dark Red/Grey/Black” iteration, the sneaker follows on from recent new styles such as the X-Pander and various takes on its Track Sneaker. Like the X-Pander, the Runner is a much-needed elevation following the house’s transition into producing incredibly popular sneakers such as the Triple S, serving up a silhouette that’s very much a sign of the times while paying attention to what has made its styles so successful.

With this in mind, the Runner is made from nylon and mesh (meaning it’s leather-free) and comes with a worn-out effect regardless of the colorway. This is most notably seen on the white colorway, which adds discoloration to the toe box, sole unit, and sporadically on the upper.

Quintessential Balenciaga details can be found all around, from the sizing on the heel to the sizing on the toe that looks like it’s been penned on with a marker. The same can be said for the “runner” logo on the midsole which is also finished in a marker-like style, while Balenciaga’s moniker appears frequently in various forms. For example, it graces the tongue as a piece of embroidery on the mesh, additionally as a “B” logo on a plaque underneath the distressed rope laces, on the vamp as a stamp on the nylon, on the heel as another piece of “B” branding, on the heel clip in full, and finally, on the lateral rear-quarter-side of the sole unit.

Despite this, the Runner doesn’t feel busy. Instead, it’s one of Balenciaga’s most thought-out sneakers to date, tapping into chunky dad shoe trends, running shoes of the ’90s, and also that dystopian futuristic undertone that continues to prevail in the label’s collections.

Having just dropped this morning, the Balenciaga Runner is in stock in all sizes and colors on Balenciaga’s website right now. It costs £785 GBP (approx. $1,077 USD).