In 2017, Balenciaga’s creative director Demna shocked fashion fans by unveiling a new in-house sneaker, the Triple S. After years of the knit runner Nike Roshe Run and the sleek Adidas Stan Smith, the Triple S marked a radical shift towards chunkier and bulkier footwear in the sneaker space – a style that has remained dominant in the sneaker space to this day, especially among designer brands.

This trick has become very boring for Balenciaga, as each new season promises another Asics-inspired, distressed dad sneaker that’s bigger and bulbous than ever. However, despite its controversial mood, the Triple S is a modern sneaker icon; it doesn’t just change what’s hot, it’s the most popular and most counterfeited designer sneaker of all time.

Designed in collaboration with luxury shoe designer David Tourniaire-Beauciel, the Triple S takes its name from its chunky sole, a combination of three soles from the shapes of a running shoe, a basketball shoe and a trainer stacked on top of each other to form a two-and-a-half-inch platform shape. The upper is made from a combination of curved suede and mesh panels and is inspired by both the chunky “dad sneakers” of Asics and Nike and the more organic sneakers of the 1970s from brands like New Balance and Reebok when Steven Smith designed them.

Despite their iconic status, I’d never owned a pair until this year, when I picked up a discounted pair in a single shade of light blue. The black, cream, red and tan color combination is the most iconic, and there are many more worn and bright colors on offer, but this is one of the few options that is both wearable and looks downright luxe.

As the owner of an extensive sneaker and fashion collection, I’m glad to own them—especially given the deep discount I paid for them—but don’t expect the $1,000 MSRP and chunky shape to suggest incredible comfort and quality.

First off, while the original 2017 edition was made in Italy, production was then moved to communist China to meet demand. The difference in quality isn’t huge, but it’s there. The suede and mesh are fine and my pairs have no defects, but compared to the truly high-quality materials you can find on far more affordable shoes – especially the best Adidas Forum releases like this year’s Packer collaboration and the Forum Premier line – they’re nothing special.

And while they’re very tall, the soles don’t contain carbon shank foam or any interesting comfort technology; they’re just three TPU plastic outsoles stacked on top of each other, offering the comfort of about $100 dad sneakers, albeit with heavier, taller soles.

To be clear, they are not uncomfortable. The tongue and ankle are extremely well padded and the shape has been carefully designed to be easy and comfortable to walk in despite their weight and size. Just be sure to go a half or full size smaller. But they are not particularly comfortable shoes, especially compared to other sneakers from brands like Salomon, New Balance or premium Adidas.

Unboxing these shoes is also a beautiful experience. In its commitment to industrial minimalism, Balenciaga’s packaging consists of a large concrete grey box with matching tissue paper, a black polyester dust bag and a spare pair of matching laces.

So why buy them? If you don’t care about their design, you have no reason to. But they are an iconic piece of modern fashion culture. If you want a designer sneaker that you can wear and bulge everywhere and still look good and give you a little extra height, you’ll be happy with the Triple S. Especially if – like me – you wait until it goes on sale.