S'pore Ah Pek style slippers sold for S$1,645 in Saudi Arabia

Remember those old-school blue and white slippers or flip-flops commonly associated with Singapore uncles?

A similar-looking set of slippers has reportedly been put on sale in Saudi Arabia for a cool 4,590 riyals (S$1,645).

This was depicted in a now-viral video on the Instagram page of "kuwaitinside", a Kuwait-based news website, which referred to the footwear as "trendy sandals".

The clip has since garnered 7.5 million views as of Jul. 19.

The video

In the video, a salesperson at what appeared to be a luxury boutique took out the blue-and-white footwear from a glass display with gloved hands.

Similar footwear in green and red colours were also on display

The price of the pair of slippers was indicated on a gold plaque as 4590 riyals.

The salesperson proceeded to show off the slippers' features, including bending them to show their flexibility.

The video amused commenters, many of whom pointed out that these looked like inexpensive bathroom slippers from countries like India and Indonesia.

"At this point, they are just trying to sell anything to the rich," one user quipped.

Others questioned if it was a joke or a publicity stunt.

Not the first time

Assuming it's real, it would not be the first time that luxury prices have been slapped on inexpensive household items in the name of high fashion.

In 2017, fashion house Prada notoriously retailed a paper clip for S$185.

Luxury fashion line Balenciaga has also rolled out products like a S$4,400 Scotch tape roll bracelet and filthy garbage sneakers for S$2,590.

And after Balenciaga put up a S$1,250 towel skirt last November, IKEA put up a similar listing — in the form of a S$12.50 towel.

"A 2024 Spring fashion essential," the furniture retailer called it.

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Top image from @kuwaitinside / Instagram