Balenciaga: the Moroccan babouche at ... $1,000!

The controversy was born on social media where many Moroccan Internet users protested against a new model of slippers, inspired by the famous Moroccan babouche put on sale on the Balenciaga website for a price of $995 while Moroccan sellers and artisans who devote a lot of time to producing similar slippers sell them in the souks at prices ranging from 100 to 500 DH. The brand does not acknowledge the origin of the belgha. The reactions did not wait, between indignation or incomprehension.

"Balenciaga has put a babouche on sale for $995 ’without even saying they were inspired by Morocco’," fumed a Moroccan Reddit user. The comments follow one another. One user described the product as "ugly," while another accused Balenciaga of defrauding customers by selling what they considered "an ugly Belgha that costs about $20." "They somehow manage to mix dropshipping and cultural appropriation," mocks another. One user, however, defends the brand. According to him, well-known brands like Balenciaga exploit their reputation to demand higher prices. "Even if they choose a stone and put it on their website, it will cost them dearly, because they sell more their brand than the product itself," he explains.

In 2018, Balenciaga had already been criticized and accused of cultural appropriation after presenting its expensive version of the traditional Moroccan babouche, at a price of 5,118 DH.