Balenciaga Has A History Of Creating Crazy Fashion, But Not The Latest Cardboard Slip Dress

If you saw a Balenciaga shipping box dress online and believed it was real, you were not the only one. The Internet recently fell for a series of hyper-real AI images that looked straight out of the luxury label's playbook.

The now-viral visuals came from an Instagram account called Sport Simulation (@celebsimulation). The page has been posting AI-generated fashion looks that feel bizarre, yet oddly believable.

One of their posts read, "Fashion just took a wild turn. What looks like a simple cardboard shipping box has been transformed into a high-fashion statement piece, allegedly priced at $8,900." And honestly, it did not sound fake at all.

That is where it gets interesting. The images showed celebrities like Megan Fox and Robert Pattinson wearing these designs. The internet paused for a second, then just went with it. Because when it comes to Balenciaga, almost anything feels possible. But here is the twist. None of it is real. 

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The account even breaks down how such content goes viral. It shares a so-called “viral blueprint” and promotes a course on creating scroll-stopping visuals. So yes, the illusion is part of a larger plan.

Still, the reason people fell for it so easily says a lot about Balenciaga itself. This is the same brand that once sold the “Trash Pouch,” a bag that looked like a garbage sack but retailed for $1,790. It first showed up on the runway during the Fall 2022 collection and quickly became a talking point.

Then there was the chips bag. Bright yellow, with “cheese and onion” written on it, and priced at $1,850. Actor Michael Shannon even carried it at the 2024 Met Gala.

And if that was not enough, the brand even introduced “The Zero,” a nearly invisible shoe that barely covers the foot. It was part of their Fall 2025 line and pushed minimalism to a new level.

So when a cardboard box dress popped up online, people did not question it. They just assumed it was the next big thing. Turns out, this time, fashion was not being outrageous. The internet just got a little too used to it.