So there must be burning questions on the top of your head now that you’re on this article. On various media platforms itself, many have been ‘shading’ on the once luxurious brand, Balenciaga. The backlash against Balenciaga and their image has been a whirlwind. With #cancelBalenciaga being in trending right now on Twitter and Tiktok, you must be wondering, what exactly is going on?
Balenciaga unveiled their holiday ad campaign in November, which featured young children cradling teddies while dressed as bond girls and bond boys. (The BDSM items also appeared on the Balenciaga runway during Paris Fashion Week.) Many contend that the company and their creative director, Demma support pedophilia and child exploitation.
Since then, right-wing conspiracy theorists have seized onto and spread images of violent crime scenes and satanic imagery that were stolen out of context from the Instagram account of fashionista Lotta Volkova. Although Volkova hasn’t collaborated with Balenciaga since 2017, claimed a spokesperson.
What was Balenciaga response?
On November 22, the fashion house apologized for the plush bears scene, which they said “should not have been featured with children in this campaign,” as well as the “unsettling documents” in the separate spring/summer campaign via its Instagram Stories: “We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties who created the set and included unapproved items for our spring 23 campaign photoshoot.” We strongly condemn all forms of child abuse. We advocate for the safety and well-being of children.”
Since then, Demna apologized on Instagram , taking responsibility for the teddy bear ads: “As much as I would sometimes like to provoke a thought through my work, I would NEVER have an intention to do that with such an awful subject as child abuse that I condemn.” The designer promised that steps would be taken to “avoid similar mistakes in the future” and protect the welfare of children. Demna’s statement did not appear to address the campaign featuring the court documents.
Balenciaga is known for its unconventional campaigns and shows, such as runway presentations in which models trudge through mud and blizzard-like conditions wearing high-end, expensive clothing. However , such controversy has dampen their reputation to consumers. It’s unhinged that a reputable brand like Balenciaga would approve a campaign like this, however, all we can do is speculate as to what prompted their decision. Balenciaga will most likely recover from this, although it will take time—a long time—and this will most likely go down as an unforgettable low point in the fashion house’s history.
So now that you’ve understand about the scandal behind Balenciaga, what are your thoughts? Would you continue supporting their business.
