Luxury consumer goods have existed for quite a long time, and while they are more expensive than other products, typically that price is justified. Sure you’re paying a premium to have a product from a brand name, but we hope that the high-price provides some sort of added benefit. For example there’s a reason a Mercedes-Benz costs more than a Toyota or why an Audemars Piguet watch costs more than a Fossil. But then we see “luxury” products that are extremely expensive, seemingly for the sake of being expensive. An example of this would be the $2,565 dollar Balmain t-shirt that’s currently for sale at Saks Fifth Avenue and it just might be the most expensive one ever.
A t-shirt is, more-or-less, the most “basic” top that you can wear. I mean, it’s a t-shirt, it’s a pretty straight-forward article of clothing. You can buy a pack of 3 for around $15 dollars easily, but $2,565 dollars for just one? That’s absurd, so why is it so expensive? Well the shirt is from Bailmain, a haute-couture fashion house that’s based out of Paris. Since we are dealing with high-fashion from a name brand, everything is going to cost a premium. But even still, there are t-shirts from Prada or Gucci that cost between $400 to $700 dollars. While they’re expensive, they don’t come close to this Balmain one.
So is the shirt made from silk and cashmere that’s then woven with real gold? Well, not quite. The t-shirt is a crewneck shirt in black that’s made from Italian cotton. Last time I checked, cotton is cotton, and it’s not exactly a luxurious or rare textile. But the shirt is made in Italy, so there’s that. Outside of those details, the shirt features the Bailman crest logo on the front, and…well that’s it. It’s absolutely ridiculous and I don’t even think it looks good to be honest. But we are talking about a company that sells a white sleeveless undershirt for $210 dollars, so I suppose anything goes.
The world of high-fashion is absolutely bizzare, and I cannot really understand why anyone would buy this t-shirt. I can understand why people spend a few thousand dollars on a tailor-made suit from Gucci, but a $2,565 dollar shirt? You’d have to be absolutely insane to buy it. And I don’t care if you’re a multi-billionaire who’s a member of some royal family, there is simply no way to justify the price of this t-shirt. It’s simply expensive for the sake of being expensive, as it is a cotton t-shirt after all. Want to complete the look as seen below? Well get ready to drop $1,415 for the jeans and $1,249 for the sneakers. You can even get Yeezys for cheaper than that, I mean, come on!
Photos from Saks Fifth Avenue
