Users have posted videos of themselves burning their Balenciaga footwear clothes and bags on TikTok. (Envato Elements pic)
PARIS: Balenciaga is under fire. The brand’s recent advertising campaign, featuring children holding plush toys seemingly dressed in bondage gear, has shocked the internet.
The controversy has grown on social networks, with viral videos calling out the brand over child pornography, and questioning the silence of the brand’s muse, Kim Kardashian.
The businesswoman and reality TV star finally spoke out on her social media sites. She explains the reasons for her silence and condemns the brand’s campaign.
Despite that, Kim Kardashian has not decided to call off her collaboration with Balenciaga: “I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened. … 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 — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children.”
Balenciaga publicly apologised for the campaign on social media, including on Instagram. “We sincerely apologise 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,” the brand said.
But this apology was considered too little, too late.
Internet users launched a veritable boycott of Balenciaga on social networks, in turn sparking a new trend. This involves getting rid of all your Balenciaga gear, either by throwing it away or destroying it, while filming the process.
On TikTok, videos of this kind have multiplied at speed. The hashtag #CancelBalenciaga has reached more than 25.5 million views.
Users have even gone as far as filming themselves burning their shoes, tearing up their clothes, cutting up bags or simply throwing their stuff in the garbage.
In addition to the disturbing photographs associating minors with BDSM fashion, users pointed to another campaign from November 2022, in collaboration with Adidas.
In one of the photos, a document was spotted that could relate to a US Supreme Court case relating to child pornography laws.
Another bad buzz for which Balenciaga has also apologised. The brand said: “We apologise for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children safety and well-being.”
