It’s rush hour. You’ve just flung yourself into a sweaty tube carriage and, suddenly, commuters part like Moses strolling through the red sea, revealing a Balenciaga-clad cybergoth in their wake. 

This aloof, celestial being takes up an entire cubic metre of the carriage with their slouchy outerwear, some alien-eyed sunglasses and the baggiest, raviest, most accident-prone trousers you’ve ever seen, holding a voluminous tote fit for the ultimate tourist and cradling the maison’s new Phantom sneaker; it’s a suave, deconstructed beauty of perforated mesh proportions, falling somewhere between your dad’s running shoes and something Serena Williams would throw on to win an entire tennis tournament. Then your eyes return to the bag… it’s Balenciaga.

This is our introduction to Demna‘s new Cities series, a collection of graphic ready-to-wear that closely aligns itself  with “local and tourist loyalty.” From denim maxi-skirts, hoodies printed with city names and oversized bombers to fluffy sliders and swimsuits, photographer François Prost transports us to various cities across the globe for the campaign, capturing fleeting moments of commuter life through Balenciaga’s luxury fashion lens.

Whilst a variety of the Paris-themed pieces are available worldwide, Balenciaga stores in Aspen, Berlin, Dubai, East Hampton, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, New York, Rome, Saint-Tropez, and Tokyo, to name a few, all boast homages to their respective location, a slice of geographical heaven spelt out across bags, tees, the works.

The launch also coincides with a new expansion to the Balenciaga Objects line. This season’s must-have? A reusable porcelain coffee cup. It boasts varsity lettering and a removable, machine-washable silicone lid, taking the form of those everyday coated-paper cups that always have your name misspelt on the side. These faux-eco friendly beasts are usually non-recyclable, left to languish in landfill sites, making Balenciaga’s reusable (and ultra-lux) alternative a truly covetable souvenir for the well-travelled coffee drinker.

Explore the collection here.