Balenciaga has publicly apologised after the fashion brand was accused of sexualising children in its recent ad campaign.
The Kering SA-owned label has removed photos that saw children hold teddy bears dressed up in what appeared to be bondage gear.
The images have gone viral on Twitter, with users outraged at the sexualising nature of the campaign.
One Twitter user wrote: “Balenciaga is very much cancelled in my eyes, I don’t care what explanation they come up with. Don’t mess with children”.
Balenciaga is very much cancelled in my eyes, I don’t care what explanation they come up with. don’t mess with children
— Gia (@virgoessence) November 22, 2022
Balenciaga replied to the controversy by saying: “We sincerely apologise for any offence our holiday campaign may have caused.
“Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children.”
The brand has also apologised for showing ‘unsettling documents’ in the spring 2023 photo shoot after an image appeared to show an excerpt from a court ruling involving child pornography. As a result Balenciaga has said that it is “taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items”.
“We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children safety and well-being,” the label added.
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Another user took to Twitter to write: “Balenciaga severed their ties with @kanyewest due to a tweet.
“Yet they expect us to just “accept their apology” after they get caught up sexualizing children?
“They’re not apologizing because they’re sorry. They’re apologizing because they got caught.”
The news comes months after a PrettyLittleThing advert was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using sexually suggestive images of a child and referring to her age.
