Balenciaga Addresses “Grievous Errors” Amid Controversial Ad Campaigns

Balenciaga is coping with the consequences of a significant fashion gaffe. The premium company addressed the concerns further and acknowledged that mistakes were made days after delivering an initial apology for its recent child-focused advertising campaigns.

“We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative,” the company said in a Nov. 28 statement. “The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”

The declaration admitted that the first campaign, a gift collection campaign, showed kids holding plush bear bags and sporting what looked to be BDSM-inspired attire.

“Our plush bear bags and the gift collection should have not been featured with children,” the statement continued. “This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images. The responsibility for this lies with Balenciaga alone.”

The declaration admitted that the first campaign, a gift collection campaign, showed kids holding plush bear bags and sporting what looked to be BDSM-inspired attire.

The clothing brand also discussed the second campaign for its Spring 2023 collection, which included a photo with a page from a 2008 Supreme Court decision in the background that confirmed the promotion of child pornography is illegal and is not protected by free speech and was intended to mimic a “business office environment.”

“All the items included in the shooting were provided by third parties that confirmed in writing that these props were fake office documents,” the statement explained. “They turned out to be real legal papers most likely coming from the filming of a television drama. The inclusion of these unapproved documents was the result of reckless negligence for which Balenciaga has filed a complaint.”

The brand added, “We take full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background, and we could have done things differently.”