Balenciaga Opens Pre-Orders for $1,590 USD Toe Bootie

Balenciaga and Vibram‘s relationship began in late 2020 with the release of a FiveFingers “Toe” collection, and from there Demna Gvasalia teased the fashion world with various pairs of shoes informed by the FiveFingers approach (notably in its Winter 2021 pre-collection campaign), but now the Toe Bootie has finally dropped.

The Balenciaga Toe Bootie is made from soft black calfskin leather — deviating from the brand’s usual approach to footwear which often doesn’t use leather, à la the Runner — and is cut in a standard bootie form, sitting above the ankle. Familiar touches such as the suspension heel that was seen on the X-Pander have been added as opposed to a typical boot heel, while lots of unusual elements have also been added.

Notably, the toe area of the boot is actually rather anthropomorphic, displaying five toes for the wearer to slip their toes into. A 40mm arch suspends your foot before you reach the compression heel, while supporting all of this is the TPU Vibram-made sole unit that displays Balenciaga branding on the lateral side and underneath, where Vibram branding also appears in its usual orange hue.

Rounding out the Balenciaga Toe Bootie is the medial-side full-length zipper and insoles that have been dual-branded, noting the collaborative effort. Balenciaga’s Toe Bootie retails for $1,590 USD and is available for pre-order online and in Balenciaga boutiques now.

For more daring footwear, check out the new collaboration between A-COLD-WALL* and Dr. Martens.