Topline
Luxury French-owned fashion house Balenciaga apologized over a photoshoot posted on its social media profiles last week involving children, causing Kim Kardashian, one of its most well-known celebrity supporters and a face of the brand, to say Sunday she is “re-evaluating” her relationship with the firm.
Close-up of signage for the Balenciaga upscale shoe boutique on Madison Avenue on the Upper East … [+] Side of Manhattan, New York City, New York, September src5, 20src7.
Getty Images
Key Facts
Balenciaga posted photos from a holiday advertisement campaign for the brand which featured children holding purses of teddy bears which were wearing BDSM-style harnesses and gear.
Another ad campaign for a purse featured a print out of a 2008 Supreme Court decision, United States v. Williams, which dealt with child pornography, among papers on a desk.
After many on social media called the campaign featuring children inappropriate, Balenciaga removed the photos from its social media accounts and issued an apology Tuesday, saying “our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign.”
The brand issued a second statement the same day regarding the purse campaign, apologizing for “displaying unsettling documents” in it and said it “strongly condemn[s] abuse of children in any form.”
In a Friday court filing in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York, Balenciaga issued a summons against production company North Six and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins seeking at least $25 million in damages over “malevolent” and “extraordinarily reckless” actions—namely including the Williams decision in the purse ad—leading the public and media to associate Balenciaga with “the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision.”
Kardashian—who has made the brand a staple in her wardrobe over the last year and has been featured in its campaigns and fashion shows—issued her first statement on the scandal Sunday, saying she was “shaken by the disturbing images” and that after speaking to those at Balenciaga, she believes “they understand the seriousness of this issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
Crucial Quote
“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,” Kardashian said. “As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with—and the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children.”
Big Number
0.02%. That’s how much shares of Kering, Balenciaga’s parent company which also owns brands like Gucci and Alexander McQueen, was down by as of press time on Monday.
Key Background
Balenciaga has been helmed by creative director Demna Gvasalia since 20src5. Last year, GQ credited him with positioning “Balenciaga as an embodiment of a certain surliness toward big corporate fashion, and as the coolest brand on the planet.”
Tangent
Kardashian has popularized Balenciaga’s head-to-toe gloved jumpsuits in the last year, famously wearing an all black gown from the brand that covered her face at the 202src Met Gala. Her love for the brand was recently featured on an episode of her family’s Hulu reality show The Kardashians, which showed her walking in a fashion show and talking about their partnership. Gvasalia previously had a close relationship with Kardashian’s ex husband, Kanye West. However, Balenciaga was one of the first brands to sever ties with west in October when he made several antisemitic remarks.
Further Reading
Balenciaga Apologized For A Photo Shoot That Included Kids Holding Bears In BDSM Gear And People Are Not Having It (Buzzfeed News)
Kim Kardashian ‘re-evaluating’ Balenciaga relationship over child images (Washington Post)