Brand · Swedish luxury streetwear · est. 2021

AVAVAV

Fashion as performance art — the cult label of falling models, four-fingered boots and viral stunts.

AVAVAV
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Avavav is a Swedish independent brand founded in 2021, a "luxury streetwear" label celebrated for its irreverent runway concepts and theatrical shows that merge fashion with performance art.

Founded by creative director Beate Skonare Karlsson with CEO Johanna Blom, the brand made its name through stunts that double as commentary. Models deliberately fell on the runway for Spring/Summer 2023's Filthy Rich; garments were designed to fall apart in Fake It Till You Break It; and a Fall/Winter 2024 show projected Instagram hate while the audience threw trash. The signature four-fingered boot recurs throughout.

From September 2024, Avavav staged conceptual shows around a collaboration with Adidas Originals under the line "High Fashion, Low Performance," with mock sprints and grave-like pits. A self-described "cult favourite," it has gained major visibility in China through viral clips and endorsements including Blackpink's Jennie.

The AVAVAV pieces worth knowing

Larva Handbag
Petal Sculpture
Larva Handbag
A petal-like leather bag that turns AVAVAV’s body-horror humour into a polished sculptural accessory.
adidas Originals by Avavav Large Sculpted Bag
Inflated Sport Bag
adidas Originals by Avavav Large Sculpted Bag
A large sculpted collaboration bag that inflates the Adidas language into something soft, bulbous and AVAVAV-weird.
$525 at AVAVAV
Finger Ankle Boots
Four-Toe Signature
Finger Ankle Boots
AVAVAV’s surreal four-toe boot turns a clean ankle silhouette into the brand’s most recognisable footwear provocation.
$1,000 at AVAVAV
Finger Flop
YUME YUME Collab
Finger Flop
A sandal-sized remix of the AVAVAV Fingers idea, translating the four-toe joke into summer footwear.
$100 at AVAVAV
adidas Originals by Avavav Superstar
Pony Superstar
adidas Originals by Avavav Superstar
A shaggy AVAVAV interpretation of the adidas Superstar, pulled into the label’s oddball sports-performance universe.
$450 at AVAVAV
adidas Originals by Avavav Megaride
Low Performance Runner
adidas Originals by Avavav Megaride
A dark, bulbous Megaride that makes adidas runner tech feel more creature-like than aerodynamic.
$300 at AVAVAV
adidas Originals by Avavav Shoulderless Hoodie
Slashed Sportswear
adidas Originals by Avavav Shoulderless Hoodie
A shoulderless French-terry hoodie that makes the familiar Adidas sweatshirt feel deliberately unfinished.
$390 at AVAVAV
Centipede Scarf
Creepy-Crawler Fringe
Centipede Scarf
A long wool-mix scarf whose all-over fringe turns winter layering into a crawling AVAVAV silhouette.
$335 at AVAVAV
adidas Originals by Avavav Slashed Double-Brim Cap
Double Brim
adidas Originals by Avavav Slashed Double-Brim Cap
A distressed double-brim cap that makes an everyday sports accessory look miscut on purpose.
$150 at AVAVAV

Read before you buy

Size and fit guides, honest reviews and comparisons that cover AVAVAV — from our editors.

AVAVAV shopping FAQ

Are the AVAVAV finger boots worth buying?+

They are statement pieces and conversation starters far more than everyday footwear, so the honest answer depends on your appetite for theatrical fashion. The brand's signature four-fingered boots and claw shoes are deliberately irreverent objects designed to be seen and talked about. If you love bold, performance-art fashion, they deliver exactly that; if you want quiet practicality, they are not the buy.

Why is AVAVAV so famous online?+

It built its name on irreverent runway concepts and theatrical shows that blur fashion and performance art. The viral spark came from stunts like models deliberately falling on the runway during the Spring/Summer 2023 Filthy Rich collection and garments designed to break apart in the Fall/Winter 2023 show Fake It Till You Break It. Those clips, plus the four-fingered footwear, made it a social-media phenomenon.

What is the deal with the AVAVAV x Adidas collaboration?+

It is a tongue-in-cheek mash-up of high fashion and sportswear. AVAVAV debuted the Adidas Originals partnership at a Milan show themed around high fashion and low performance, transforming tracksuits into tailored suits and sneakers into stiletto-like designs. The collaboration leans into satire rather than athletic function, which is exactly the brand's point.

Where is AVAVAV from and when was it founded?+

AVAVAV is a Swedish independent fashion brand founded in 2021. It is led by cofounders Beate Skonare Karlsson, the creative director, and Johanna Blom, the CEO. The name is pronounced ahv-ahv-AHV.

Who is the designer behind AVAVAV?+

Beate Skonare Karlsson is the cofounder and creative director, and she is the force behind the brand's extreme, theatrical designs. Her work includes Kim Kardashian-inspired latex bodices, claw shoes, and sculptural silhouettes, all staged through provocative runway presentations. Johanna Blom serves as CEO alongside her.

What does AVAVAV actually stand for as a brand?+

It positions itself as luxury streetwear built on irreverence and performance. Rather than chasing conventional elegance, it uses fashion to comment on the industry itself, from wealth and status to shame, failure, and online cruelty. The clothes are a vehicle for that critique as much as garments to wear.

What was the AVAVAV show with people throwing trash?+

That was the Fall/Winter 2024 show, Thanks For Your Feedback. Karlsson drew on hateful social-media commentary, projecting Instagram comments onto a stripped-back set while audience members threw trash at the models. She described it as putting online haters into a physical setting to see whether they would actually engage, likening it to a stoning-the-witch scenario.

Why does AVAVAV intentionally make clothes that fall apart?+

It is a deliberate artistic statement, not a defect. In the Fall/Winter 2023 show Fake It Till You Break It, bags broke, heels snapped, and clothes detached mid-walk by design. Karlsson framed it as an exploration of shame and failure, asking what the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a fashion house might be, and answering that garments breaking might be it.

What are AVAVAV's signature products?+

The four-fingered boots and claw shoes are the unmistakable icons of the house. Beyond footwear, its collections mix streetwear silhouettes like tracksuits and oversized outerwear with sinuous bodysuits, cut-out dresses, and sculptural shapes. The Adidas collaboration also introduced playful accessories such as boxing-glove mittens and Larva bags.

Is AVAVAV popular in China?+

Yes, it has gained real visibility there. The brand has spread through viral runway clips, user-generated content, and celebrity endorsements, including Blackpink's Jennie wearing AVAVAV x Adidas. The Chinese market remains one of the brand's most significant audiences.

Is AVAVAV a serious fashion brand or just internet stunts?+

It is both at once, and that is the intention. The provocations are genuine conceptual statements about wealth, failure, and the fashion system, staged at Milan Fashion Week and backed by a real Adidas Originals collaboration. The viral moments are the delivery method for ideas, not a substitute for them.