In April 2026, photos circulated online supposedly showing actor Robert Pattinson modeling a $9,900 shipping box outfit by Balenciaga.
For example, a Facebook user shared the alleged images on April 8 (archived). The caption read, "Balenciaga's $9,900 shipping box outfit is breaking the internet! Would you wear this?"
The images also appeared on Instagram, Facebook and X.
We first uploaded the images into Google Lens to perform a reverse image search. Next, we used search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo with the phrase, "Robert Pattinson Balenciaga shipping box outfit."
The images did not authentically show Pattinson modeling a Balenciaga "shipping box" outfit. They were created using artificial intelligence tools.
Therefore, we've labeled the images fake.
If the scene in the images had occurred, journalists with reputable news outlets would have documented it. Evidence would exist in credible media repositories, such as Getty Images. That was not the case. We did not locate any examples of credible outlets publishing the images, nor reporting on the alleged scene.
We also found no indication that the purported look was part of a real Balenciaga collection. Vogue's Fall 2026 Balenciaga runway page and Balenciaga's official website did not show any "shipping box" outfit resembling the one in the viral images.
We traced the images to their source: the Instagram account @celebsimulation, which first shared them on April 5, 2026. The account's bio described it as the "#1 Source for Celebrity Simulation," and its website advertised a course teaching people how to create "AI-generated luxury product concepts" designed to go viral.
We uploaded the images into software that screens visual media for signs of AI, such as Sightengine and Hive Moderation. According to those tools, creators likely used some type of generative AI software.
(Hive Moderation)
Let us note here: These types of AI detection tools are fallible. Snopes cautions people against using them for definitive answers on media's authenticity without supporting evidence.
We contacted a manager of the social media account to learn more about the images' creation, such as what software creators used and their motivations for sharing it. We will update this story if we receive a response.
The social media account contained other examples of AI-generated media. For example, it shared images of a woman supposedly modeling a Balenciaga "$8,900 shipping box dress," another fake luxury fashion concept in the same style as the Pattinson images.
(Instagram user @celebsimulation)
Snopes has debunked similar pieces of media before. For example, we traced the source of a fake image supposedly showing a U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran in early April 2026.