Following the “garbage bag” bag, “potato chip anti-theft wallet” and scotch tape bracelet, the well-known French luxury brand Balenciaga has launched another controversial product. The new hairpin looks similar to the cheap hairpins worn in childhood, but the price is as high as US$350 (about RM1,550), which has sparked heated discussions.
“Xiaoxiang Morning News” reported that the new “BB hairpin” recently released by Balenciaga is 9.9cm long, 0.7cm high, and 0.2cm wide. It is made of stainless steel and looks no different from ordinary hairpins. The only feature is that it is printed with a gold or silver “BB Balenciaga” logo.
At present, this hairpin has shown “tight inventory” in many cities in China, and the fluorescent pink model launched last season has long been sold out. The black model of the same series, which is priced at a lower price of RMB 2,500 (about RM1,529), has also been sold out in China.
Since the design and material of the hairpins do not seem to be enough to support their high prices, the product has caused a large number of netizens to complain after it was exposed: “You can grab it directly, but they still give you a pair of hairpins”, “Luxury products, don’t cheat the poor”, “To be honest, it’s really not good”, “It’s good that it doesn’t cheat poor people like me”, “Aren’t these hairpins that cost 50 cents a pair when I was a child?” “Only money laundering can explain this.”
“Xiaoxiang Morning News” also mentioned that on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com, a pack of ten similar hairpins only sells for 5 yuan (about 3 ringgits), which means that each one costs only 0.50 yuan (about 0.30 ringgits).
In fact, Balenciaga has previously launched various similar products, which were mocked by netizens for selling “IQ tax”, including a Towel skirt, which is sold online for US$925 (about RM4,097); limited edition sneakers launched to promote environmental protection activities, the most shabby price is US$1,850 (about RM8,197), and it was joked that “even homeless people would shake their heads when they see it”; there is also a bag called “Trash Pouch”, which is priced at US$1,790 (about RM7,930).
