Balenciaga's New Capsule Is All About Pets

Balenciaga's new capsule collection is pet-tastic. Too much? We thought so. But if there's anyone who knows how to do bad taste and irony well, its Demna Gvasalia. The designer, who is Balenciaga's creative director, also knows internet culture. With the latest Balenciaga capsule I Love Pets, Gvasalia is giving the people what they want.

Released today, the capsule will raise funds for La SPA, a France-based animal protection charity. Having teamed up with Farfetch last year to support threatened animals in the wild, this time around it's all about cute puppies and cats. In other words, it's internet cat nip.

T-shirts, hoodies, bags, and jewellery, alongside charms, earrings and totes, feature photographic prints of the furry friends the internet loves to coo over, in the faded, pixelated quality of the early 2000s. The pets come courtesy of the Balenciaga team, and phrases such as 'I Love Cats' and 'Woof Woof' feature across the line. If that wasn't enough, there's also a Balenciaga hotline, offering advice on adopting pets from shelters. A web address, also printed on most capsule items, leads to a retro-style homepage designed to raise awareness of the plight of abandoned animals and options for hopeful pet owners.