Balenciaga’s $1,000 light-up sunglasses are the ultimate flex

After two long years, Balenciaga has finally released its light-up sunglasses. The rectangular frames with an LED logo were originally sent down the runway in 2019 as part of the luxury house’s SS20 collection. Although the shades have garnered plenty of headlines since then, they haven’t made their way to stores until now.

LED lights are used on just one of the sunglasses’ arms, with the Balenciaga logo rotating between several colors including red and blue. To keep your shades shining you’ll have to charge them, and the USB cable required to do so is included in the whopping $1,035 price tag.

Wearing Balenciaga’s tech-integrated shades constitutes a strange flex, but you have to admit they’re unlike anything else on the market. Designer Demna Gvasalia continues to take us into the future of dressing, no matter how frivolous it may be.

Get your pre-order in — Balenciaga’s LED-equipped sunglasses are available now for pre-order through the brand’s website and are just begging to be worn the next time you go to a rave. Wearers can choose to have one of the colors remain static or blink, and fading from one color to the next is also an option. Given that this is a tech site, we can’t help but wonder how long the LED frames will last on a single charge — information Balenciaga isn’t parting with.

The shades bring to mind the light-up sneakers from our youth, and now that precious sense of nostalgia comes to your dome for a nontrivial amount of your adult salary. If you’re looking for attention, especially when the lights are down low, Balenciaga’s futuristic shades will have you out-shining anyone else in the room.