The Hacker Project

Balenciaga and Gucci introduced the Hacker Project during their spring 2022 shows, with part one — the Gucci series — introducing cross-branded Gucci merchandise that featured the Balenciaga signature. Part two — the Balenciaga series — combines Gucci codes such as its enduring colorways, luggage details and logo patterns, with recognizable Balenciaga structures and styling throughout the merchandise.

Four months on from the release of the stratospherically successful The North Face X Gucci collaboration, Alessandro Michele is back with another creative union—this time a surprise “hack” of its Kering stablemate, Balenciaga.

• 

• 

• 

Gucci, hacked by Balenciaga

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you’ve grown tired of your Gucci double-G buckle belt, consider Gvasalia’s spin on the cult accessory. Gleaming with a double-B buckle, the Hacker BB Belt is one of the most wearable pieces from the collection and best sums up the the adage, “if you know, you know.”

For your next holiday, why not pack your stuff in the Hacker Graffiti duffle bag, which sports an edgy, spray-painted façade? It’s one of the many bags that show off the Balenciaga-fied Gucci monogram canvas, with another notable design being the French fashion brand’s version of the Jackie 1961 hobo bag. The best part of the “BB” monogram is that it isn’t immediately obvious, and in fact looks like the Gucci original at first glance. It’s a trick that Gvasalia has pulled countless of times, reworking logos from Gap and even US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ campaign.

The BB monogram also appears on items that Balenciaga die-hards already consider staples, like a cap and a reversible scarf. More Gvasalia than Gucci, these items are available in black and grey colourways that would pair well with your Balenciaga sneakers.

Balenciaga, hacked by Gucci

• 

• 

• 

• 

or his half of The Hacker Project, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele injected a dose of the Italian luxury brand’s heritage into Balenciaga’s trendiest items.

Case in point: the Hourglass bag, loved by Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber, now comes in a floral print that first appeared on a Gucci silk scarf commissioned for Princess Grace Kelly in the ’60s. (Miley Cyrus is already a fan.) The bestselling Triple S sneakers have also received the same colourful treatment, making them a grail-worthy pair.

There are other must-haves that mirror Balenciaga’s sense of cool, like a pair of skin-tight ankle boots (another staple of Kardashian’s), now remixed with the GG monogram. And the Jackie 1961 bag with its all-over Balenciaga logo pattern should be probably be renamed Jackie 2061 for its futuristic look. As for the piece that’s the easiest to show off on Instagram? That honour goes to the Gucci x Balenciaga chain necklace, dangling with charms shaped after both brands’ logos.