A Closer Look at The $132,000 100 MM Buscemi Diamond

When an artiste sang "I am not my hair," most of the women, especially the African –American ones were singing along determined to adopt a natural hairstyle and say goodbye to styling tools. Unfortunately, they soon forgot about it and went back to expensive hair extensions, but then again, a woman has to look good no matter the cost, or so they believe. The same way a woman will spend thousands of dollars making trips to the salon while another will be comfortable just running a comb through their hair is the same reasoning a person will use to splurge on a pair of shoes while another will wear flip flops any day. Such is life; everyone to their own, and we are not to judge anyone for their choices. Still, how many of us will be willing to spend $132,000 on a pair of sneakers when they can get a car for just as much if not less, yet the ride can take them miles around the city, unlike the shoes. It is all about prestige and in economics, there is something called ostentatious goods, which are those that defy the law of demand and supply such that when their price is high, so is their demand. With these highly-priced products, the higher the price, the more those who can afford them will be scrambling for it and the rest of us ordinary folks we might conclude that the price is all because of a few reasons.

Location

In this era of the internet, you would think that Jon Buscemi would save you the trouble of having to go to a brick-and-mortar store and order your kicks from Amazon with just a few clicks of the button. Well, high-end stores usually have their lanes, and in sticking to theirs, Buscemi opened a flagship store in SoHo New York, and it is the only place from which you can get the sneakers. To be clear, this particular one was already sold to an unnamed client, so if you are interested in other 100mm sneakers, you now know where to get your pair. Buscemi said that the shoe was made for fun and he was excited that out of their fun came some money. It makes you wonder what kind of sneakers he would have come up with if fun was not part of the element; probably it would not have been the named the most expensive sneaker at the time.

Material

What differentiates a regular shoe from one that only a celebrity would be caught wearing is usually the materials from which it is made. Shoes are meant to protect our feet, but manufacturers have gone to another level; now they are about making a fashion statement. You cannot make a statement in rubber slippers, but the minute you attach diamonds to it, then the paparazzi will be clambering to get a shot of your shoes. This logic applies to these Buscemi 100 mm diamond sneakers. At a glance, you will be dazzled by how white they are, but then again you see something shining bright, and the only thing you can reminisce about is Rihanna's "shine bright like a diamond" lyrics. Funny thing is as you move closer to the shoes, you realize that indeed you are staring at diamonds; to be precise they are 11.5 carats divided into small keys. Gold is not something that you come across every day, but on these sneakers, the decoration is made out of 175 grams of 18-carat gold. It is unmistakably noticeable on the padlock, and you can be sure it plays a significant role in driving the price to $132,000. Italians have always been rated as among the best when it comes to their cooking skills as well as fashion. Therefore it is no surprise that these shoes utilize Italian leather in their construction. Italian leather has been highly regarded as being among the best high-quality materials. It is not only durable but the amount of craftsmanship that goes into making it ensures it is of the highest standards.

Its original function

Every person has a story, but not all of us get a chance to tell it so Buscemi thought he would narrate is through art. The ultra-luxe collection that comprises Italian –made sneakers were part of an art project, but also Buscemi was experimenting with avant-garde luxury. It is, therefore, no wonder that there were limited pieces, although the fact that each sneaker takes more than 20 hours to make does not help. As for the inclusion of a padlock on the sneakers, Buscemi explains that it reminds him of classic handbags and somehow his short split from his wife. According to Buscemi when they separated for the little while, he dreamt of a bag his wife owned, and he cut it up to make sneakers, and since the bag had a lock on it, he drew his inspiration for the next design from there.

The brand

A consumer is willing to spend extra dollars on a Samsung phone as opposed to other brands because of the high quality associated with the brand. The same goes for electronics with labels of LG and Sony on them. As for these sneakers, Buscemi has engraved the brand of his shoes which go by his name "Buscemi," and since he has become a brand synonymous with high-end fashion, it is no wonder that celebrities like Kelly Rowland will not mind wearing his shoes. Buscemi has been the producer of some of the most expensive sneakers with shoes ranging between $800 and $2,000. However, as one person states, Buscemi defines the line between status symbols and culture codes reasoning that it is one thing to buy a luxurious item, but another to have the taste to know what products are worth the money, and evidently, Buscemi's sneakers are worth every penny. You might be rolling your eyes at the mention of the $132,000, to Buscemi that is not what he could use to define a huge price tag because according to him, the cost goes hand in hand with the quality and so does his shoes, as he justifies.