The past year has created some strange circumstances—one of them being the crossover of gaming and luxury fashion.

With large retailers and global fashion events canceled throughout the world, businesses have tried to figure out new ways to reach consumers. One of the companies leading the way is the iconic French fashion house, Balenciaga. 

They’ve made some ambitious moves already, such as releasing the game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, an immersive experience using the Unreal Engine to showcase the brand’s fall 2021 collection.

The move was considered a success, with online searches for Balenciaga reportedly rising by 41 percent after the game’s release. To further this trend, the brand has continued making bold moves to continue making inroads in this weird crossover. And there is almost nothing bolder than Balenciaga and Sony’s “PS5” Capsule Collection.

Following in the footsteps of collections like A BATHING APE® x MINIONS, the apparel is so bizarre that I can’t unsee its potential as a successful fad.

There are only three items to choose from: red and black t-shirts and a black hoodie. The articles feature PlayStation branding on the front with “Nov 2020" stamped underneath (indicating the PlayStation 5’s launch date. On the arms, you’ll find the Balenciaga signature written in the PlayStation font, as well as respect paid to the iconic Sony button scheme. 

The clothing definitely looks awesome. They have a great minimalist design to them, and they were able to pull off the collaboration without coming off as overly obnoxious.

While it’s great to see another partnership between the gaming and fashion worlds, the biggest concern when considering the Capsule collection is the pricing. The shirts will run you $675 each, while the hoodie comes in at $875.

It’s Balenciaga, so it’s to be expected, but come on. 

The biggest discussion point people have had when discussing this collection is the fact that it costs more than the notoriously expensive PlayStation 5. It’s true. Just for fun (and to provide you some alternative ideas if you’re considering this collection), here’s a few other items less expensive than Balenciaga’s hoodie:

• A night at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
• 4 nights All-Inclusive at Jamaica’s Royal Decameron Montego Beach
• HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG01-1160xt
• Two BAPE Minion Hoodies
• 35 Tier 3 Twitch Subscriptions
• A car
• Food, shelter, and number of things you need to survive

I do really like Button motifs.

Verdict

6 / 10

I’ll be honest. If I could afford these pieces I would buy them. It’s wonderful seeing more interest by fashion designers in the gaming space. The eye-watering price point along with the design not having anything that stands out prevent this from being anything more than another overpriced shirt.

Pros:

• Faithful, classy designs
• Interesting concept
• Easy to brag to friends about if you have it

Cons:

• Only three choices
• Shirt and hoodie combined it’s freakin’ $1,550