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Balenciaga designer, CEO apologize for ad campaign featuring children
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Fall from grace: Balenciaga’s Los Angeles store in West Hollywood, California, is seen in this picture taken on June 1, 2015. Both the creative director and CEO of the French fashion house have apologized after a public backlash over its online advertising campaign featuring inappropriate imagery featuring children. (AFP/Getty Images/Gabriel Olsen)
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he creative director and CEO of French fashion house Balenciaga both apologized on Friday for an advertising campaign that sparked criticism on social media over accusations that it featured inappropriate imagery featuring children.
The storm over the campaign led reality television star Kim Kardashian to review her ties with the label.
“I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids,” creative director Demna Gvasalia, who goes by Demna, said in a message posted on Instagram.
Separately, the Kering-owned label issued a statement signed by CEO Cedric Charbit outlining new internal processes, including naming an “image board” to evaluate content.
The label drew fire in recent weeks over two separate online campaigns. The first, advertising a gift collection and launched last month, featured a handbag in the form of a stuffed teddy bear in bondage-style straps that was held by children.
A second, separate campaign for the label’s Spring 2023 collection was set in an office and included papers featuring text from a 2008 Supreme Court ruling related to child pornography.
In a statement earlier this week, Balenciaga apologized and said that investigations into the ad campaigns were ongoing. It said the papers featuring the legal text on child pornography were props from a third party, and that it had filed a complaint against the inclusion of the “unapproved documents”.
In Friday’s statement, Charbit said the label had decided not to pursue litigation.
“I want to personally reiterate my sincere apologies for the offense caused and take my responsibility,” said Charbit.
