Balenciaga's Bernie Sanders Flip-Flops: Pop Politics at $600

Demna Gvasalia, the 37-year-old Georgian-German creative director of Balenciaga and founder of Vêtements, has released a pair of open-toe flip-flops for spring-summer 2018 featuring the logo of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. Priced at around $600 and available in blue and black leather, the sandals continue Gvasalia's practice of appropriating commercial and political logos. The Sanders logo previously appeared on jackets, sweaters, and hoodies in the fall-winter 2017-18 collection. Gvasalia told Vogue he chose the Sanders logo because it was the most present in his research at the time, emphasizing its visual strength over political content. This follows earlier provocations: DHL logo T-shirts (€245 vs. €6 for the real ones) for Vêtements spring-summer 2016, an Ikea-inspired blue lambskin tote ($2,145 vs. $0.99), and a T-shirt with the Kering group logo. Gvasalia won the International category at the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards.