Balenciaga makes shoes that photograph well

Balenciaga makes shoes that photograph well. That is not a criticism — it is a statement of fact, and one that matters when your business model involves provoking reaction. The question, less often asked, is whether those shoes hold up. Not in the metaphorical sense of cultural relevance, but in the literal one: do the soles stay attached, does the leather crack, will the silhouette survive a winter of tube commutes.

I have worn three models hard over the past eighteen months. Not occasionally. Hard. The Triple S through a wet spring, the Track through summer, the Speed Trainer through autumn into winter. I wanted to know if the price — and the cultural baggage — was justified by the construction. The answer is mixed, but more encouraging than I expected.

Good, in this context, means a shoe that does not fall apart under regular wear. It means a sole that grips, an upper that breathes or at least does not trap moisture, and a shape that does not collapse after three months. It does not mean timeless. Balenciaga is not in the business of making shoes your grandfather would recognise. But it should mean honest. A £750 trainer ought to last longer than a £75 one, even if it looks twice as strange.

What follows are the three models I kept wearing, and what happened to them.

Triple S

The Triple S is the most divisive shoe Balenciaga has made in the past decade, which is saying something. It is also the most robust. I bought a pair in grey and white in March 2023. Wore them four days a week through April and May, which in London means rain, more rain, and occasional sun that makes you regret the rain jacket you are still carrying.

The upper is a mix of leather, mesh, and nubuck. The sole is triple-stacked — hence the name — and made from moulded rubber with an exaggerated tread. It looks absurd. It also works. The leather sections have held their shape. The mesh has not torn. The nubuck, predictably, has darkened where water has soaked in, but it has not cracked or peeled.

The sole is the real test. Balenciaga uses a dense rubber compound that does not compress as quickly as the foam you find in most chunky trainers. After six months of wear, the heel stack had worn down by perhaps three millimetres on the outer edge. Not nothing, but not catastrophic. The tread is deep enough that it still grips on wet pavement.

The weak point is the stitching where the upper meets the midsole. On the medial side of the left shoe, two stitches came loose after four months. I had them re-stitched by a cobbler in Hackney for £12. They have held since. This is not a deal-breaker, but it is a reminder that even expensive trainers are still trainers.

Weight is worth mentioning. The Triple S is not light. Each shoe is around 650 grams, which you feel by the end of a long day. But the heft is part of the structure. The shoe does not flex or twist under load. It stays rigid, which is why the shape has not collapsed.

Track

The Track is Balenciaga's answer to the question nobody asked: what if a hiking boot and a running shoe had a child, and that child was raised in a laboratory. It is the most technically complex shoe in this guide, with a multi-layered upper that combines mesh, nylon, and rubberised overlays. The sole is even chunkier than the Triple S, with a sculpted profile that looks like it was designed for another planet.

I wore a black pair through June, July, and August. This was a test of breathability as much as durability. The Track has more ventilation than it appears to. The mesh sections are genuine mesh, not the decorative kind, and air moves through them. I would not call the shoe cool, but I also did not end each day with damp socks.

Durability is excellent. The overlays are heat-welded, not stitched, which means fewer failure points. After three months, the upper showed almost no wear. The sole, however, is softer than the Triple S. The heel wore down noticeably faster, and the forefoot began to show flat spots where the tread had compressed. This is a shoe built for impact absorption, not longevity.

The laces are the only real annoyance. Balenciaga uses flat nylon laces that do not hold a knot well. I replaced them after six weeks with round waxed laces from a hiking supplier. Problem solved.

Speed Trainer

The Speed Trainer is the oldest design here, and the simplest. It is a knit sock with a sole. No laces, no overlays, no unnecessary structure. Just a stretchy upper and a moulded rubber base. It is also the most comfortable shoe Balenciaga makes, and the one I reach for most often.

I have worn a black pair since September. The knit is denser than it looks, a tight weave that has not pilled or snagged. The fit is snug without being restrictive, and the lack of a tongue or lacing system means no pressure points. The sole is thin compared to the other two models, but it is also more flexible. You feel the ground, which some people hate and I prefer.

Wear has been minimal. The knit shows no signs of stretching out. The sole has worn evenly, with no flat spots or separation from the upper. The only visible change is a slight fading of the black dye on the upper, which is common with knit trainers and does not affect function.

The Speed Trainer is not waterproof. Do not wear it in heavy rain. But for dry days and light drizzle, it has held up better than I expected.

Care

None of these shoes will last forever. But they will last longer if you treat them like shoes, not sculptures. Wipe down the uppers after wet wear. Use a suede brush on nubuck sections. Replace laces before they fray. If stitching comes loose, take the shoe to a cobbler immediately — a £12 repair now saves a £750 replacement later.

Store them with shoe trees if the upper is leather. Let them air out between wears. Do not put them in a washing machine. Balenciaga does not publish care instructions worth following, so use common sense and the same principles you would apply to any decent trainer.