It's fair to say that most of us will be opting for a warm pair of gloves as winter approaches, but at Paris Fashion Week, so-called "condom gloves" are all the rage.
Now, while "condom gloves" isn't the item's official name, internet users and media outlets alike have been referring to them as such.
According to Vogue, aquatic wear brand Botter had the rather unique idea of fitting their models' hands with condoms filled with dyed water, so as to bring "water to the runway."
Designer Rushemy Botter, who runs the brand with Lisi Herrebrugh, said: “We really want to bring water to the runway. Our thinking was how can we collaborate with nature and not with another fashion brand? This is something that we’ve tried to research deeper and deeper every season.”
There were several "trials" in the process of making the gloves, as reported by France 24. The item is meant to evoke the image of hands swimming in prophylactic aquariums - so as to raise awareness about the oceans.
“It’s almost bizarre, romantic, mermaid vibes,” Botter said.
Botter and Herrebrugh also included designs made from kelp, which they used for a couple of tube dresses.
“It’s a starting point of how we can incorporate new material into the collection,” Herrebrugh told Vogue, hinting that there may be some more kelp-like designs in the Fall 2023 collection.
In any case, the internet wasn't exactly impressed by the unveiling of the duo's, erm, avant-garde accessories.
One person wrote: "At this point …. We just calling anything fashion."
Another suggested: "Maybe it is just time to end fashion week?"
A third theorized: "Nobody has ever worn anything exhibited at a fashion show outside of said fashion show change my mind."
However, not everyone was so critical about the gloves, with one sharing: "I'm sure a lot of you have seen the Botter condom gloves by now, it was to raise awareness about the state of our oceans and how they’re getting warmer and warmer every day due to the human induced global warming. What i love about this is that it’s not just a gimmick or a stunt."
