Golden Goose Distressed Superstar Sneakers
Golden Goose, an Italian luxury brand, has been heavily criticized for its Distressed Superstar Sneakers. The shoes are being sold for $530 on Nordstrom and people think the company is capitalizing on others’ economic depression. (Photo: Nordstrom Website)

Golden Goose, an Italian luxury brand, is selling worn-out, taped-up, intentionally discolored and soiled pairs of sneakers for $530 on Nordstrom and people are outraged. Critics said kids who wore torn shoes in school were shamed for wearing their naturally old footwear while adults experiencing economic depression are compelled to wear them for lack of money to buy new shoes.

For others, they condemned the whole luxury fashion industry for coming up with a similarly ridiculous and insulting trend while the society looked down on people who have no other choice but to wear tattered apparel.

Apparently, there is a style now in-demand in the luxury fashion industry called the "distressed fashion trend."

The sneakers in question, the Superstar Taped Sneaker, are described on Nordstrom's website as "crumply, hold-it-together tape details a distressed leather sneaker in a retro low profile with a signature sidewall star and a grungy rubber cupsole."

A quick check on Golden Goose official website done by Business Times found that the company relies heavily on the "distress fashion trend" with most of its products. The style is particularly pronounced in their shoe lines for men, women, and kids. The soles of their footwear were intentionally dirty with deliberate designs that show wear-and-tear that would otherwise be present in shoes that are worn for many years already.

The Golden Goose Deluxe Brand has more than 15 years in the industry according to the company's profile. It says it combines a "refined and modern style with a vintage feeling" in its designs. The luxury brand has flagship stores in New York, Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Beirut, St. Tropez, and Amsterdam. The company was founded by two young Venetian designers, Francesca Rinaldo, and Allesandro Gallo, who were outsiders of the fashion industry until their founding of the brand.

As it turned out, the Golden Goose Distressed Superstar Sneakers suffered similar condemnation in 2016 for its women's shoe line. At the time, the company sold glittery sneakers also with duct tape. One faded pink suede pair with tape along the heel was being sold for $585.

In a statement in 2016, Golden Goose defended itself by saying that it is proud to pioneer the booming distressed look which the company said has become one of the biggest trends in fashion. It explained that the duct tape reinforcements actually served as homage to the West Coast's skater culture or professional skaters who repair their battered shoes with similar tape.

Elsewhere on Twitter, people are not convinced.