Whenever Olivier Rousteing has a fashion show to run, we’re confident that you are bound to see the Kardashian-Jenner clan taking the front row seats, dressed in the most extravagant and heavily embellished haute couture gowns we’ve ever seen. Because other than his deft craftsmanship, his razor sharp facial features and his cheek-sucking selfies, he’s also known for his wide connections and close relationships with Hollywood’s hottest celebs. So when Balmain announced that the brand will be tying up with Beats by Dr. Dre, it’s no surprise that he turned to Kylie Jenner to be the face of the campaign.
In this special edition collection, both Rousteing and the Beats by Dr. Dre team re-created the Powerbeats3 Wireless and Beats Studio Wireless, centered on the concept of an urban safari. The former is a plug-in earpiece while the latter is the classic over-ear headphones made famous by Dr. Dre, with each model coming in two colourways – Safari, a tan peachy brown colour, and Khaki, a military green.
According to Beats by Dr. Dre, “the Safari and Khaki colours represent the natural feel of the desert and the lush landscape of the jungle, while metallic gold accents bring on added level of elegance and luxury.” And while they do look luxurious, the price tag definitely is. With exactly the same functions as the existing versions and no added features, these Balmain-ified gadgets retail at twice the price of the original ones, with the headphones costing US$599.95 and the earbuds costing US$249.95.
Both the earbuds and headphones allow for hands-free action with the help of Bluetooth technology and can last up to 12 hours. The Beats Studio Wireless headphones also comes with a dual-mode Adaptive Noise Cancelling feature, while the Powerbeats3 Wireless allows users to get an hour of playback with just a short 5-minute charge when the battery is low. And to match with the extravagant price you pay for the techies, each model comes with a coordinating suede case decked with a Balmain plaque and a symbolic Balmain coin zipper pull.
Balmain x Beats by Dr. Dre Special Edition Collection, US249.95 – US$599.95, available now at Apple.com and Balmain.com.
Header image: Beats by Dr. Dre
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