By Serafina Paolini (STAFF CLASS CONSCIOUS)
In 2022, Balenciaga released their infamous “extremely destroyed” sneakers for a humble $1,850. For almost two grand, you could get your hands on a pair of kicks that are so dirty and ripped that you could barely get your foot in them. Don’t have $1,850? Not to worry! They also offer a less exclusive selection of sneakers –less roughed-up versions– for only about $500 a pair. You could at least fit into one of these, as they fall more into the camp of overpriced ripped jeans you bought at the mall. You know, the ones your grandpa still asks you –to this day– if they were bought at a discount.
There is this phenomenon in which the rich are obsessed with appearing poorer. You thought “fashion MFs” were insufferable? Let me introduce you to the nepo-baby fashion MF. The nepo-baby fashion MF is that guy who wears wired earbuds that he connects to his iPhone 15 despite owning both AirPod Pros and Beats. But it’s vintage! It goes with the fit! He adores pairing an XL sweater from L Train Vintage (bonus points if there’s a cigarette burn in it) with jeans so tattered that they just might fall right off his body before he can even make it to his DJ set that night. He only listens to underground rap but has never set foot in a subway station north of 110th Street. He smokes cigarettes because vaping is for losers, but just please don’t light up in his loft ‘cause his dad will, like, totally freak out if he can smell smoke when he visits to check in on the apartment.
Wealthy people pretending to not be wealthy is not new, but there’s definitely something extra sinister about seeing a rich person wearing head to toe ill-fitting, tattered clothes in the name of “fashion.” It’s almost like they woke up one day and decided to start cosplaying poor people. Homeless-core, anyone? But the thing is, they can take these clothes off –it’s just a costume for them. By day they roam the streets, baggy pant legs dragging on the city’s urine and broken glass-covered ground. But once they get home those dirty pants will get tossed in their in-unit washing machine while the nepo-baby fashion MF sits at his sewing machine, eager to complete his next avant-garde garment.
That’s one thing I will give them though: creativity. You’ve got to admit, most people aren’t spending their day dreaming up new ways to turn their Moncler puffer jacket into a tote bag. But then again, most people don’t own Moncler.
the paper 