Balenciaga roasted for $1800 gumboots: Would you swap your Red Bands for these?

Balenciaga is selling a pair of gumboots at an exorbitant cost. Photos / Balenciaga, Getty Images

If it weren’t for your gumboots, where would you be?

Every Kiwi knows the answer to that question. Gumboots are a quintessential part of life in New Zealand - whether you’re loyal to the tried and true Red Bands, which retail from around $40 to $90 depending on your size, or you’re partial to a budget-friendly knockoff from The Warehouse, there’s a pair on every doorstep in New Zealand.

But would you pay up to $1800 for a designer version?

Balenciaga's take on the humble gumboot.

That’s right, luxury fashion house Balenciaga has just released a pair of rain boots retailing for around US$1000 (NZ$1835).

The brand is no stranger to controversy, but its latest move has proved too much for gumboot devotees around the world.

The wide-calf men’s Excavator boots are made from polyurethane, and have upwardly pointed toes and white Balenciaga branding. They’ve been compared to the classic Wellington boots favoured by our British friends, which typically retail for around $100 in the UK and are lovingly nicknamed “wellies”.

All around the world, people have shared their outrage at the exorbitant price of the Balenciaga boots.

One wrote for website Jam Press, “Balenciaga wellies ... what an absolute bargain”.

In New Zealand, gumboots look more like this lineup of well-worn Red Bands. Photo / Bevan Conley

Another wrote in horror on X, formerly Twitter, “$1000 for rain boots? Guess my feet will just stay wet, or I’ll wrap ‘em in plastic. Budget fashion, baby!”

Another pointed out that they “saw these at Costco ... $49.99″.

Others noted the design isn’t quite one size fits all, but appears to be “for people with skinny feet and super wide legs”, while another simply labelled them “ugly”.

The fashion house is no stranger to controversy - it has previously advertised a distressed piece of headgear for over $500, a dirty jacket for over $4000 and a pair of ruined pants to match for more than $3000.

Who could forget the fisherman waders-inspired stiletto shoes selling for almost $5400, or the $2780 tote inspired by a rubbish bag? And one of the most expensive items up for sale, a $6664 huge bucket bag which included a glove as part of the design to make carrying it easier?

The brand has also been involved in some more serious controversies, particularly last year when it published a new campaign which featured children with stuffed animal toys dressed in what appeared to be bondage-style outfits.

Countless people who had been fans of the brand for years took to social media to document themselves destroying their once-loved Balenciaga items in retribution.

The fashion house is set to reveal its newest collection on Sunday, October 1 at Paris Fashion Week - but it remains to be seen whether the new designs follow in the footsteps of the pricey gumboots.