Balenciaga launched the Track sneaker in 2018.
The Track emerged during Demna Gvasalia’s early period as Balenciaga’s artistic director, when the house was helping make oversized “dad” sneakers a major luxury-fashion trend. It followed the success of the Speed Trainer and Triple S, but took a more visibly technical approach, combining layered mesh, rubber panels, multiple laces and a deliberately complex, trail-inspired silhouette.
The model was previewed in Balenciaga’s Fall/Winter 2018 campaign and received an early exclusive release through London department store Selfridges in September 2018. Its exaggerated construction made it immediately recognizable, while the design’s running- and hiking-shoe references fit the broader late-2010s appetite for bulky athletic footwear.
The year can be confused with 2017 because the Triple S became highly prominent then, or with 2019 because the Track’s international rollout and later colorways continued after its debut. Those refer to neighbouring moments in the sneaker line’s rise, not the original Track launch.