Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia apologized for what he said was a “wrong artistic concept choice” after the luxury fashion brand was criticized for an ad campaign that featured young children posing with teddy bears that appeared to be dressed in BDSM costumes .
“It was inappropriate to let children promote objects that had nothing to do with it,” he said in a Instagram message on Friday. “As much as I would sometimes like to provoke a thought with my work, I would NEVER intend to do so with such a horrible subject as child abuse that I condemn. Period.”
Many people called the holiday campaign inappropriate and harmful to children. In another Balenciaga adthere was an extract from one 2008 Supreme Court case which enforced federal statutes about pornography featuring minors.
Some social media users responded by posting TikTok videos of them smashing their Balenciaga wallets and shoes. Kim Kardashian, who often works for the company, said in a series of tweets that she was “disgusted and outraged” by the ad. She told her followers she is “currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand.”
Gvasalia further said in his Instagram post that he needs to learn from the controversy and “engage with child protection organizations to know how I can contribute and help on this horrible topic.”
I apologize to anyone offended by the images and Balenciaga has guaranteed that appropriate action will be taken, not only to avoid similar mistakes in the future, but also to take responsibility in protecting the well-being of children in every way,” he wrote.
Balenciaga issued a separate apology last week suggesting that the images displayed in the ad campaign were not approved by the company and threatening legal action against any content creators.