It's the Battle of the Sock Shoes as VETEMENTS Weighs In
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The rising debate of who did it first is only continuing to surface as both Balenciaga and Kanye West announced new sock sneakers and sock shoes this past week. Balenciaga's iteration made its debut during the brand's Fall 2024 showcase in Los Angeles, which explored classic LA archetypes and saw Cardi B walking the runway. Demna's version boasts technical knit uppers which wrap the foot and extend up the ankle, offering a high-cut look resembling socks. Elsewhere, the shoe features the Balenciaga logo embossed on the back of the shoes.
Balenciaga
Somewhat similarly, a few of us will remember that controversial rapper Kanye West recently filed a trademark for YEEZY Sock Shoes back in May. It appears that a version of the shoes has since been unveiled, dubbed the YZY Pods "sock shoe." Now available for pre-order, the shoes arrive in a black colorway and can be purchased in three sizes: "1" for sizes under a US 6 or EU 39, followed by "2" which is between US 7 and 9.5 and finally a size "3", for US 10-13s. Crafted from a stretchy knit material, the shoes appear to reach the wearer's mid-shin and boast a thin. rubber sole for a tiny ounce of protection.
YZY
Finally, off the back of Balenciaga's and Ye's respective releases, Guram Gvasalia and VETEMENTS have weighed in on the debate, taking to Instagram to share their version of the design, alongside a caption that read "The original flat sock sneaker since 2019 engineered by VETEMENTS. Accept no imitations #NothingBeatsTheOriginal." Seemingly taking a jab at the aforementioned brands, it's clear that Guram believes his design has been copied. The relationship between Guram and Demna has pretty openly been rocky, since the brothers started VETEMENTS together back in 2014, before Demna was appointed Balenciaga's head creative a year later.
VETEMENTS
Take a look at the individual shoes in question above, and stay tuned for more details coming soon as the story develops.
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