Justin Bieber is an unlikely candidate to be heading up a flashy new haute couture campaign. The 27-year-old musical superstar’s personal style is decidedly quite casual: baggy tracksuits and Crocs; oversized loud shirts and cargo pants… He wore Jordans to his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, for crying out loud.
So it was pretty surprising when just hours ago, famed luxury fashion label Balenciaga unveiled its latest unisex fashion campaign starring the sometimes-slovenly Canadian on Instagram… With Bieber rocking an austere and startling look that’s had fans both in awe and scratching their heads all at once.
Check out Justin Bieber’s new Balenciaga campaign below.
Bieber looks every part the fashion model in this outfit, with his crew-cut, steely gaze, and of course, in a Balenciaga ‘Engineered Coat‘ and clutching an ‘Essential Small Wallet‘. For a man who’s normally a fan of bright colours and contrasting textures, Bieber seems at home in all-black.
The highlight of the outfit? His ostentatious ‘Trooper Boots’, which retail for AU$875. Chunky and minimalist, they’re worlds apart from the intentionally over-engineered Track and Triple S sneakers Balenciaga has become famous for in recent years – yet they’re just as eye-catching and severe. There’s truly no mistaking Balenciaga’s aesthetic.
RELATED: $800 Balenciaga ‘Birkenstocks’ Enrage Social Media’s Luxury Consumers
Reactions have been mixed. Some fans have said he looks like a priest (one choice comment: “finally a priest we want to touch”), while others have compared him less favourably to Swedish rapper Yung Lean, or to Hagrid from Harry Potter.
Speaking of priests, we’ve got a confession: we reckon Bieber looks pretty good in this outfit. We’re just keen to see what other garments and celebrities will appear next in a Balenciaga campaign…