Balenciaga is at the center of controversy following the release of a concerning campaign. While the luxury fashion house has since pulled the ad, consumers have been left troubled by the interpreted messaging.
In images released in support of the label’s spring 2023 collection, young children are seen posing with stuffed animals that are dressed in BDSM-style attire. Additionally, there are wine and beer glasses present alongside a kid in one shot.
The visual was quickly met with criticism, with social media users expressing their disappointment via Twitter. “Balenciaga is very much cancelled in my eyes, I don’t care what explanation they come up with. Don’t mess with children,” read one tweet.
A different critic expressed: “When Balenciaga hires you to shoot their new look book & you show up to find a toddler laid across a sofa with wine glasses & bondage gear arranged around them, you walk away. Period.” A third tweet read: “Wait, shouldn’t Balenciaga have their bank accounts closed, get banned on social media, stores temporarily shut down, and all celebrities condemn them first?”
Others pointed out that some ads allegedly even featured “very purposely poorly hidden court documents about ‘virtual child porn.’”
Balenciaga officially removed the campaign on Tuesday, November 22, and issued an apology. “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused,” read the statement, per CNN. “Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
Days later, Kim Kardashian, who has served as an ambassador of the brand since February, revealed she’s “re-evaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been shocked and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns,” the Skims founder, 42, wrote via Twitter on Sunday, November 27. “But because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.”
She continued: “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period. I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
Keep scrolling to learn everything about Balenciaga’s recent controversy:
Balenciaga is at the center of controversy following the release of a concerning campaign. While the luxury fashion house has since pulled the ad, consumers have been left troubled by the interpreted messaging.
In images released in support of the label’s spring 2023 collection, young children are seen posing with stuffed animals that are dressed in BDSM-style attire. Additionally, there are wine and beer glasses present alongside a kid in one shot.
The visual was quickly met with criticism, with social media users expressing their disappointment via Twitter. “Balenciaga is very much cancelled in my eyes, I don’t care what explanation they come up with. Don’t mess with children,” read one tweet.
A different critic expressed: “When Balenciaga hires you to shoot their new look book & you show up to find a toddler laid across a sofa with wine glasses & bondage gear arranged around them, you walk away. Period.” A third tweet read: “Wait, shouldn’t Balenciaga have their bank accounts closed, get banned on social media, stores temporarily shut down, and all celebrities condemn them first?”
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Others pointed out that some ads allegedly even featured “very purposely poorly hidden court documents about ‘virtual child porn.'”
Balenciaga officially removed the campaign on Tuesday, November 22, and issued an apology. “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused,” read the statement, per CNN. “Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
Days later, Kim Kardashian, who has served as an ambassador of the brand since February, revealed she’s “re-evaluating” her relationship with Balenciaga.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been shocked and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns,” the Skims founder, 42, wrote via Twitter on Sunday, November 27. “But because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.”
She continued: “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period. I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
Keep scrolling to learn everything about Balenciaga’s recent controversy:
Credit: Gil-Gonzalez Alain/ABACA/Shutterstock
What Balenciaga Ad Sparked Backlash?
The controversial images were displayed on the Balenciaga website as part of the brand’s “Toy Stories” campaign. The advertisement featured children from different backgrounds and in different locations holding the label’s plush bear bags, which debuted on the spring 2023 runway during Paris Fashion Week in October. The teddy bears were dressed in BDSM-like attire, including harnesses and netted tops.
Credit: YANNIS VLAMOS/SIPA/Shutterstock
Did Balenciaga Address the Child Abuse Accusations?
In a statement shared via social media on Tuesday, November 22, the brand said: “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
A few hours later, Balenciaga issued a second statement, explicitly acknowledging the Supreme Court documents from the 2008 United States vs. William case, which criminalized child pornography and were seen in one of the campaign images, per BuzzFeed.
“We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 2023 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children safety and well-being,” the memo read.
Credit: PIXEL FORMULA/SIPA/Shutterstock
Who Took the Photos?
Photographer Gabriele Galimberti released a statement of their own on Wednesday, November 23, asserting that they had no creative control over the shoot.
“Following the hundreds of hate mails and messages I received as a result of the photos I took for the Balenciaga campaign, I feel compelled to make this statement,” Galimberti began. “I am not in a position to comment [on] Balenciaga’s choices, but I must stress that I was not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither choose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same. As a photographer, I was only and solely requested to lit the given scene and take the shots according to my signature style.”
The statement continued: “As usual for a commercial shooting, the direction of the campaign and the choice of the objects displayed are not in the hands of the photographer. I suspect that any person prone to pedophilia searches on the web and has unfortunately a too easy access to images completely different than mine, absolutely explicit in their awful content. Accusations like these are addressed against wrong targets, and distract from the real problem, and criminals.”
Galimberti added: “I have no connection with the photo where a Supreme Court document appears. That one was taken in another set by other people and was falsely associated with my photos.”
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
How Does Kim Kardashian Fit into This?
In addition to being named the face of the fashion house, the TV personality has filled her wardrobe with nearly only Balenciaga ensembles for the past year and walked in the brand’s Haute Couture show during Paris Fashion week in July. She also has a close relationship with creative director Demna.
