"Square" Spongebob-style jeans for $745 are taking over New York

Caroline Vazzana isn’t afraid to be a "square"—literally. The New York City fashion icon hit the streets of Soho in the Square Voluminous jeans by Ukrainian designer Ksenia Schnaider, priced at $745, sparking instant comparisons to Spongebob Squarepants and Roblox avatars.

"These cubic jeans are a true piece of wearable art," Vazzana says. "People stop, stare, and either love them or hate them. That’s the whole point—to provoke an emotion."

Engineering the Cube

Using specialized plastic inserts, the jeans transform any silhouette into a geometric masterpiece. An internal leather belt helps maintain the structural integrity, ensuring the "cubic" shape stays in place, while each pair is custom-made to individual measurements.

Vazzana styled the extravagant denim with a vintage 1980s Yves Saint Laurent silk blouse, a metallic Fendi bag, and Manolo Blahnik heels. Despite the bulk, she navigated the narrow sidewalks of Soho with ease, drawing hundreds of curious glances.

From Roblox to the Runway

Designer Ksenia Schnaider explained that the blocky silhouette was inspired by digital avatars from Roblox and Minecraft.

Social media reactions have been explosive: some hailed the jeans as revolutionary, while others dubbed them a "cartoonish nightmare." Vazzana takes the criticism in stride: "Fashion should be crazy. You can think outside the box—or literally inside of it."

With cube-jeans, square hats, and geometric blazers, Schnaider may have just launched the strangest and most talked-about trend in the world of high fashion.