Balenciaga’s BDSM AD

On December 2nd, 2022, The luxury fashion company ignited backlash with the photo shoot, which showed the young kids posing with stuffed bears clad in BDSM-style harnesses.

They could avoid this!!!

Balenciaga is always famous for its creativity, I was a fan of it. I bought 2 T-shirts, 1 hoodie, and 1 sneaker from it. But I was disappointed at that time. Society nowadays is inclusive, People are now tolerant of many elements that were taboo in the past. However, there are still some bottom lines you should never cross. Of course, it was Balenciaga’s fault. Demna Gvasalia, the creative director for Balenciaga, issued an apology in an Instagram post. Although he apologized, he still implied that his intention was to give people some inspiration. But as a listener, it was more like exonerating himself. It is true that some of Balenciaga’s design is meaningful, for example, my hoodie. But still, kids are the bottom line.

After Crisis

As I just mentioned above, Demna Gvasalia, the creative director for Balenciaga, issued an apology in an Instagram post. According to Lee Brown on March 1st, 2023, Balenciaga is hiring a crisis management expert after the backlash to its unsettling child-bondage ad campaign.

I did not see Balenciaga’s sincerity

I am confused why it takes about 4 months for Balenciaga to decide to hire a crisis management expert. Also the apology letter, I didn’t feel the director’s apology. It might be because English is my second language, there is still some language barrier for me, and I get that person’s meaning wrong. But till now, for me and a couple of friends of mine, are not going to buy Balenciaga anymore. The brand image is broken.

Thanks for your time. Have a good one.