Balenciaga’s recent ad campaign received much criticism as it showed images of children posing with teddy bear handbags for the luxury fashion brand’s holiday gift shop. There were empty wine glasses on a table in front of the young models, and the teddy bears appeared to be wearing bondage attire such as leather harnesses, collars, and fishnet shirts.
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The brand announced last week that the advertising had been taken down from all platforms. They also issued an apology.
The full statement, which was posted as a story on Balenciaga’s Instagram account, reads, “We would like to address the controversies surrounding our recent ad campaigns.”
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“We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative”.
The clothing brand continued by saying that “internal and external investigations are ongoing” and that it is attempting to impose stricter rules on its validation methods and creative processes.
It also said, “We are laying the groundwork with organizations who specialize in child protection [and aim] at ending child abuse and exploitation. We want to learn from our mistakes and identify ways we can contribute.”
The statement conclude, “Balenciaga reiterates its sincere apologies for the offense we have caused and extends its apologies to talents and partners,”
Kim Kardashian received criticism for the photos as well as for remaining silent on this issue.
On Sunday, posting to her Instagram stories and Twitter, she said she had been “shaken by the disturbing images” and “any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.”
She claimed that she wanted to speak to Balenciaga to “understand for myself how this might have happened” rather than out of a lack of anger and fury.
She thanked the brand for taking down the advertisements and issuing an apology, adding that she was “re-evaluating” her connection with the business.
However, she assured followers that she thought the company recognized the gravity of the situation and would take action to ensure that it “never happened again.”
