Luxury fashion corporation Balenciaga recently debuted an advertisement campaign that consists of a controversial photoshoot including two young children holding the brand’s newest designer bag. However, official court documents deemed the campaign as “virtual child porn,’ due to the positioning of the harness-like handle that the kids were holding.
The high-end fashion company released the following statement in response to their surplus of negative backlash: “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. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility… 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.”
Other celebrities and partners such as Kim Kardashian also posted a response to the photo shoot, on top of “re-evaluating” her “relationship” with the well-known business. “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 a mother of four I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” she uploaded to her verified Twitter account.
“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand,” Kim added in a separate post. She concluded her statement by elaborating on how her decision will be “based on their [Balenciaga] willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with.”