Last week, Balenciaga entered a ménage à trois with Kanye West’s YEEZY GAP, introduced a new take on its Runner sneaker, and debuted its Chinese New Year capsule, but in true Demna form that doesn’t mean the brand is slowing down any time soon. Now, Balenciaga has released its global City Series, and within this comes a new sneaker: the Phantom.Coming in six iterations — white, black, washed white, washed black, washed pink, and washed yellow — the Phantom is one of Balenciaga’s simplest sneakers ever since it released the Triple S, which singlehandedly marked the house’s foray into the luxury dad sneaker market.Made from monocolor mesh, the Phantom draws from retro running sneakers from the early 2000s and combines this aesthetic with typical Balenciaga design tropes. For example, the mesh upper is overlayed with fabric pieces that give the body shape, carving out areas such as the toe box, side panels, and heel section.Also keeping in tune with the brand’s signature style is the choice of branding. For the Phantom, Balenciaga adds debossed sizing on the toe, Phantom branding on the tongue and sole unit, Balenciaga stamping on the lateral mid-panel, and embroidered branding on the heel, before rounding out the style with more block-caps branding on the toe, insole, and outsole.This new offering from Demna comes as part of the Balenciaga City Series, which serves up region-specific goods and apparel depending on where you are based. For example, those based in London (and other European cities) have access to London and Paris-emblazoned pieces, ranging from bomber jackets and backpacks to necklaces, while those in the States can access a wider range of looks wearing Los Angeles and New York logos.Take a look at Balenciaga’s Phantom sneaker above, and purchase all six iterations from Balenciaga’s website and boutiques worldwide now. The un-washed versions retail for $795 USD, while the washed colors come in at $895 USD, apart from the pink iteration which is available in the U.K. for £675 GBP.For more retro runners, check out ASICS Sportstyle’s GEL-1090 update.
