Balenciaga's latest drop is a moody tribute to one of the house's most impactful creative partners: BFRND, the genre-defying artist who's soundtracked every Balenciaga show since 2017. In the latest installment from the Balenciaga Music series, a project that highlights the role of Balenciaga. music in the Balenciaga universe, the collaboration offers fans a merch drop, playlist and exclusive gameplay.
The French composer's history with the house is celebrated in a special 8-bit game that takes players on a 360-degree experience of the Balenciaga shows that BFRND has worked on. Going through the Paris and Balenciaga stores and presentation settings, an 8-bit version of BFRND wearing the limited-edition merchandise avoids birds and collects hourglass bags for points. The game takes us through the composer's recent work with Balenciaga, and we can experience his soundtracks alongside his original settings. The first three levels of BFRND: The game – Winter '21, Spring '24 and Summer '24: Playable for free via WeChat, in selected Balenciaga stores (in Paris and Shanghai) or online.
But there's a fourth level: it can only be unlocked via NFC chips embedded in the limited-edition product line that includes T-shirts, zip-ups and hoodies. And if you play Contest mode, you can compete to be one of the top 30 players in the world and earn an additional reward.
If you keep up with Balenciaga you would know how integral music and its subcultures are to the house's codes. Earlier this year, the brand joined forces with composer Angelo Baldamenti, a frequent collaborator of David Lynch and the musical genius behind the authors' moody soundtracks.
For a taste of the world of BFRND, this series also offers a four-hour playlist that draws on BFND inspirations past and present. (You can stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Amazon Music.) The four hours lean heavily toward '90s grunge and industrial; there's a lot of contemporary synthy goth and some nu metal moments. But like any Balenciaga project, it showcases an impressive range including some Nancy Sinatra, Sade and Lana del Rey.
