Controversies in social networks. After the publication of two brand advertising campaigns led by artistic director Demna, the brand is facing an unprecedented storm.
Accustomed to Com’s blows, Balenciaga faces a heavy blow this time. After making headlines for its world’s most expensive garbage bag, torn sneakers or even a bag in the form of a fragile package, the label has found itself in unprecedented turmoil. The luxury brand, owned by the Kering group, has faced a wave of outrage and boycotts since the release of ad campaigns that first cemented the American far-right before going viral.
Scandal has erupted with the Balenciaga Christmas campaign, titled gift shop and opened on November 16. It depicts children surrounded by designer accessories, including bags in the shape of teddy bears wearing straps, belts and chokers evoking a sadomasochistic fetish aesthetic. The series was immortalized by Gabriel Galimbret, a documentary photographer known for staging his subjects with their own personal effects. Images that associate childhood with the world of BDSM have not failed to cause controversy on social networks, which have been deemed “shocking” and “unbearable” by a large number of Internet users.
The case took a new turn on Twitter on November 21, with a post by American anti-feminist YouTuber June Nicole Lappin (1.6 million subscribers), known as Shoe On Head, describing herself as a “populist bimbo”. In tweet, it looks at the Christmas campaign still under the influence of the scandal, with images from another ad campaign for the label, which aims to promote the spring-summer 2023 collection, which was released on November 3 under the name. Wardrobe. He points to one of the damaged documents under the “Hourglass” bag. “The Balenciaga brand just made a buzz…an interesting photo shoot (…) that included a very deliberately poorly hidden court document regarding ‘virtual child pornography’. Normal…” The release ignites the dust, not taking long for a typhoon to form.
In the video: the spring-summer 2023 Balenciaga fashion show
The subject of child crime under discussion
The document pointed to by the influencer is similar to the report of the United States Supreme Court’s 2008 decision on child pornography. It states that the speech of an individual who claims to have child pornography does not fall within the scope of freedom of expression. According to the brand, these sheets, which were chosen to recreate the set of the law office, are from the set of the series. The matter does not end there. Another photo from the Spring/Summer 2023 campaign doesn’t take long to get netizens to react, determined to remove any clues that might incriminate the brand. The latter linger this time on a framed diploma in the background bearing the name of John Philip Fisher. This name appears in the legal section of a local Michigan newspaper. The article states that a man charged with 7 felony sex crimes in 2008 was convicted of incest.
From controversy to politics
Despite the tornado raging on social media on November 21, Balenciaga released new photos of its spring-summer 2023 campaign on the same day. Wardrobe. Here again, office decor featuring house muses: model Bella Hadid and actresses Nicole Kidman and Isabelle Hooper. In the background of the portrait of the French actress, the Internet users stop on a new detail, which they associate with an element of child pornography: the book of the artist Michael Borremans. The Belgian artist is an author fire from the sun a work that features groups of naked toddlers “doing wicked make-overs,” according to the David Zwirner gallery, which has exhibited it in the past.
Pinned and generating a flurry of comments on social media, the campaigns are also being picked up by media outlets including: FoxNews. The US pro-Trump channel has helped popularize the QAnon conspiracy theories that Democratic Party elites are at the head of a child abuse network. On his Nov. 23 show, host Tucker Carlson identifies Balenciaga as a possible actor in this plot and accuses him of promoting child pornography.
Right of reply
On November 22nd, almost a week after the Christmas campaign was released gift shop, the brand apologizes in a story posted on Instagram. “Our teddy bear bags were not meant to be associated with children,” admits Balenciaga, which has announced it will remove the visuals from all its platforms. In the process, he publishes another apology about the campaign Wardrobe, this time pointing to third-party liability. “We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for the creation of the collection for our Spring 23 campaign photo shoot and the inclusion of unapproved elements,” Balenciaga wrote on its Instagram page.
Word was quickly followed by action, and a lawsuit was filed against production company North Six and set designer Nicolas Des Jardins, who was responsible for the set’s decorative elements. The trademark points to “malicious or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless” actions by the manufacturer and the American, whose clients include Zara, Versace or even Beyonce. And demands 25 million euros in damages.
Chain reactions
Balenciaga is facing an unprecedented wave of outrage. On Tiktok, users film themselves burning coins. The hashtag #BoycottBalenciaga quickly reached nearly 50 million views, as did #CancelBalenciaga. The face of the label, Kim Kardashian, makes a speech on November 27, announcing to her 334 million followers on Instagram. but because I wanted to have the opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.” And to conclude that he is reevaluating his “relationship” with the brand.
Balenciaga is hurt, but the various actors in these campaigns are also expected to be in line. Photographer Gabriel Galimberti said he had to issue an official statement disclaiming all responsibility for Balenciaga’s selection. products, models or a combination thereof”. He also announced that he is suing the media for defamation. DailyMail: the time Newsweek.
This boycott also manifested itself in the world of fashion with a statement Fashion business, a reference site for B2B fashion journalism. The media announced that they are withdrawing Balenciaga’s artistic director Demna from the Global Voices award that was presented to him earlier this year. And notes that he gave the creator a chance to explain himself on his podcast Voices. The invitation was declined. Despite everything, some voices are being raised to defend the claw.
Condemned unanimously?
This is the case of the father of one of the children who was photographed in the village gift shop next to the famous bear cubs. The man, who is speaking anonymously to Mail Online, claims he was present at the filming, calling it a “lovely moment”. “No parent would encourage their child to participate in pornographic activity and I think the publicity surrounding what happened has gone too far,” he said.
As for fashion commentators, Instagram influencer Luke Meagher, who has 242,000 followers, also lightens the debate. “Balenciaga ads are bad, stupid and should not have been made and published. But the fact that far-right pundits are jumping on the bandwagon makes me wonder, too. I don’t think they really care about the children and their welfare. I think they are only concerned with creating an atmosphere of fear,” he published on November 29.
On December 2, it was the artistic director Demna’s turn to speak, who was silent until then. In an Instagram post, the 41-year-old Georgian designer apologizes “personally” for the “poor artistic choice of the donation campaign idea” and takes responsibility for the decision. As for Balenciaga, the strategy is to keep quiet after various press releases on the subject.
In the video, Nicole Kidman at the Balenciaga Fall Winter 2022-2023 show
Source: Le Figaro
