Le City turns 25, and Balenciaga is marking it with a pop-up and a Damien Hirst capsule. Nicolas Ghesquière designed the bag in 2001, starting from a motorcycle jacket, and the house kept the shape through Alexander Wang and Demna. Vogue reports that Le City House opens at 10 Avenue George V in Paris on November 10 for nine days, then moves to New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul through the end of the year.
The capsule moves Hirst's paintings and spot patterns onto Arena leather. One hand-painted run, in the manner of his Spin Paintings, is an edition of 25. Spot paintings arranged as a butterfly, a mandala of wings, a grid of dots and an embroidered patchwork make up the wider release, and "Damienciaga" runs in silver script along one side of the bag.
The sneaker is already on Balenciaga's site, listed as a pre-order. The capsule Triple S.2 is $1,290, with delivery estimated between November 11 and 14. Its upper carries embroidered patches and a printed "Damienciaga", the zips are decorative, and the leather has a worn-out finish (Balenciaga). Highsnobiety calls it the capsule's first drop. The medium Le City in the same capsule is $3,750, in Arena lambskin with the patch artwork stitched on.
Elusive holds the bag, not the artist. Le City returns 213 listings, including a 2,490 EUR medium bag and a 1,950 EUR First, and Balenciaga returns 549. The capsule itself is not on the index. The six Damien Hirst pieces there are all Supreme's, from a 150 EUR hoodie to a 730 EUR deck set.
