Balenciaga's super chunky Defender sneaker is an absolute tank

A passing of the torch for Balenciaga’s bizarre sneaker of the moment is set to go down soon, thanks to the arrival of the brand-new Defender silhouette.

Designer Demna Gvasalia continues to add to his mantle of absolute behemoths of sneakers with a shoe that isn’t just a tank in size but also in its texture. The Defender comes with a chunky sole that we’ve come to expect from Balenciaga and wrapped in studs from the outsole all the way to the sides of the midsole. Traction should be your last concern while wearing the sneaker, and the footprints you leave behind may just be categorized as craters.

The Triple S and Track sneakers are the primary forebearers of the Defender, although Gvasalia’s tenure at Balenciaga has had no shortage of eye-popping shoes, from several iterations of Crocs to a soccer cleat for everyday wear. But of the luxury house’s recent output, the Defender should have the best chance of becoming Balenciaga’s latest it-sneaker of the moment.

More four-figure footwear — While familiar in its imposition, the Defender is Balenciaga’s most aggressive sneaker yet with nearly 360 degrees of studs enveloping the rubber sole bringing to mind the continuous tread of a military vehicle. Mesh makes up the base of the upper, with somewhat generic rubber lines atop it balancing out all the noise down below.

The Defender is priced at $1,090, more or less the standard price for Balenciaga’s luxury sneakers. Matches Fashion has previewed to color schemes for the shoe, all-black and all-cream, with a firm release date yet to be set. All we know now is that the Defender is “coming soon,” and it shouldn’t be too long before it starts popping up on the feet of the well-funded.

As far as what to wear with it, why not go full maximalist? The Defender could go well with tactical pants and superfluous cargo vest to allow you to fulfill your sartorial mercenary fantasy.