Source: Ben Gabbe / Getty
We must warn that portions of this report might be disturbing to some.
Balenciaga emerged as one of the top luxury fashion brands in the world. Yet, the company is currently deep in hot water after launching an ad campaign that is coming under fire. The ad in question featured a young child lying face down on a couch in front of wine glasses holding a bear that appeared to have bondage paraphernalia on its person, among other disturbing details.
Balenciaga, owned by the Kering company which also owns Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and other top brands, was trending on Twitter after a new ad campaign was launched featuring a young child sitting in front of a white couch and empty wine glasses. In one shot, the young child is seen holding a bear who appears to be wearing leather straps, chokers, and chains as sometimes seen in the world of BDSM.
Eagle-eyed observers on Twitter noted that the Balenciaga ad curiously had papers and letters strewn across a table. Upon further examination, it was revealed that the documents referenced a child porn court case.
In the tweet below, the images mentioned above are shown, including a display of the campaign offerings.
In one of the images, a young child is seen standing behind the wares and at first glance, this probably isn’t meant to be sold to children. In the image featuring the court documents, a black and white purse, which appears to be meant for an adult, rests atop the papers that are haphazardly spread out on a desk or table.
Outrage over the ad on social media led to Balenciaga scrubbing the images from its social media pages and issuing an apology. For some, the apology falls short of expectations. Further, many talking heads on the right are latching on to this bit of news with others mentioning the fashion brand cutting ties with Ye FKA Kanye West. In that observation, Balenciaga ending its partnership with Ye over antisemitism yet green-lighting the aforementioned ad is a huge contradiction of values.
Check out the reactions from Twitter below.
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Photo: Getty