Balenciaga, who came under fire over its controversial holiday campaign, has issued another lengthy apology following Kim Kardashian’s second thoughts to continue with the company. The French fashion house then revealed that they are taking three actions in response to what happened.
Full Accountability For Lack Of Oversight…
In their previous apology, Balenciaga claimed that “inexplicable acts and omissions” made without Balenciaga’s knowledge were “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless,”. Now, the French fashion house has taken full responsibility for its lack of oversight in the controversial campaign, wherein it included images of children carrying teddy bears in bondage.
Balenciaga doubled down its apology majorly after Kim Kardashian denounced the brand and stated that she is currently re-evaluating her 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.”
From featuring young children in BDSM-inspired outfits to using images featuring the Supreme Court ruling from “United States v. Williams” about child pornography, Balenciaga crossed several lines and the same has agitated people across the world. The company took to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 28) to double down on its apology.
Balenciaga wrote, “We would like to address the controversies surrounding our recent ad campaigns. We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative.” As for the two separate ad campaigns, the company explained that it was a series of grievous errors and that ‘Balenciaga takes full responsibility’.
“The first campaign, the gift collection campaign, featured children with plush bear bags dressed in what some have labelled BDSM-inspired outfits. Our plush bear bags and the gift collection should not have been featured with children,” the statement read. For this, the company addressed that the move was a combined failure in assessing and validating images.
As for the second campaign for spring 2023, Balenciaga explained that it was meant to replicate a business office environment. However, as for the SC ruling, the company mentioned that ‘the photo with a page in the background contained the Supreme Court ruling ‘United States v. Williams’ 2008 which confirms as illegal and not protected by Freedom of Speech the promotion of child pornography’.
What Are Balenciaga’s Three Major Steps?
In their recent apology, Balenciaga mentioned that the items provided in the shooting were provided by third parties, who confirmed in writing that the props were fake documents. But then, they turned out to be real legal papers, likely from the filming of a television drama.
Taking full responsibility for their negligence, Balenciaga wrote, “The inclusion of these unapproved documents was the result of reckless negligence for which Balenciaga has filed a complaint. In the end, the company took full accountability for their lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background and wished they could have done things differently.
Most importantly, Balenciaga also revealed that it’s taking three major steps in response to what happened. These steps include:
- Closely revising the organization and collective ways of working.
- Reinforcing the structures around their creative process and validation steps. The company wants to ensure that “new controls mark a pivot and will prevent this from happening again.”
- Laying the groundwork with organizations that specialize in child protection and aim at ending child abuse and exploitation.
Balenciaga concluded by writing: “We want to learn from our mistakes and identify ways we can contribute. Balenciaga reiterates its sincere apologies for the offense we have caused and extends its apologies to talents and partners.”
The lengthy apology comes after Kim Kardashian, known for her frequent collabs with the brand, finally broke her silence on the matter. “The Kardashians” star stated that she is shaken by the disturbing images, featuring children posing with teddy bears in bondage.
For days, fans have been flooding Kim’s Instagram comments, urging her to address the controversial ads. “Nobody wants to buy anything from you. Speak up and stand for something,” one angry fan commented on her post that promoted a sale on her skincare line. Please speak up about Balenciaga. You cannot avoid it being that you have been such a big supporter of them,” one fan pleaded.
In the end, Kim appreciated the French fashion house for the removal of the campaigns and their apology. “In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again,” she added. However, Balenciaga’s extended apology has come due to the reason that Kim spoke about reconsidering her business ties with the company.
Following its previous apology, Balenciaga even filed a $25 million lawsuit against production company North Six, Inc. and “set designer Nicholas Des Jardins for creating the controversial ad campaign that included a child pornography court ruling and BDSM teddy bears”.
The luxury French fashion house came under fire after its recent controversial holiday campaign. Through its document featuring a Supreme Court case involving child pornography and featuring child models holding bears dressed in fetishwear, the company has garnered massive backlash from celebrities and other brands.
In case you missed it, Balenciaga also featured ‘easter eggs’ which the internet has called out for relating to or denoting child pornography. YouTuber June Nicole Lapine was amongst the first to call the campaign out, “very purposely poorly hidden court document about ‘virtual child porn’”.
On the other hand, the photographer hired for this photo shoot, Gabriele Galimberti expressed his innocence and stated: “I am not in a position to comment on Balenciaga’s choices, but I must stress that I was not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither chose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same.” What do you think about Balenciaga’s remedial steps? Is the luxury brand heading in the right direction?
