A selection of items bearing the branding of the discount supermarket Lidl have taken the Belgian fashion market by storm, with products going on sale for several times their modest asking price.
Flip-flops, socks and shoes in the telltale yellow and blue of the german chain are now flooding online selling platforms, shoes at €12.50 are sold for up to €150, socks at €2 for more than €30.
The mass buzz originates - of course - from social media after the product was brought to light in a tweet, according to GQ.
Ah y'a une génération de gamins qui va souffrir... pic.twitter.com/uA8zl1cpFv
— shootjapan (@ShootOsaka) June 30, 2020
According to the style and fashion magazine, the craziness started after a Japanese video game fan, @ShootOsaka, tweeted an image of the Lidl with the caption sneakers "Ah, this is a generation of kids who are going to suffer..."
The tweet went online on 1 July and has already been retweeted over 3.500 times, with over 13.500 likes.
From there on, things quickly spiralled, with people scrambling to find out more on the mystery items. Lidl Ireland even announced that their buyers were "trying to get their hands on stock" because of the massive demand.
Les baskets Lidl sont sold out en magasins et sont vendues 20 fois le prix sur EBay ? pic.twitter.com/JB5JVwDqCn
— ??♐️ (@Jennafts) July 1, 2020
Lidl France stepped in, explaining on Twitter that they are not currently available in France but they are marketed on the Belgian Lidl website.
They instantly sold out.
The shoes have since appeared on selling sites across the world, with a pair listed on Finnish auction site Tori for over €5,000.
For those looking to buy a pair for themselves, then such items may be their only chance to do so if they are not in the local store. Lidl does not ship internationally, and as time goes by, savvy buyers are grabbing the shoes in an attempt to make a profit.
Jules Johnston & Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
