Balenciaga partnering with a kid's charity after bondage bear scandal

Balenciaga partners with children’s charity ‘to learn more about how they can protect kids’ – three months after child porn and bondage bears scandals

• Balenciaga announced Wednesday that it is partnering with a children’s charity
• The charity works with 400,000 victims of child abuse across the US every year
• The move comes after Balenciaga’s highly-criticized ad campaigns in 2022 

Embattled French fashion house Balenciaga is partnering with a children’s charity in an attempt to salvage its reputation in the wake of the advertising campaigns that featured documents about child porn and teddy bears in bondage gear. 

On Wednesday, the label and its parent company Kering Foundation said that they have begun a three-year partnership with the National Children’s Alliance, which is based in Washington DC.

According to a statement, Balenciaga will work with the NCA in helping children to heal from the trauma caused by abuse, promoting public awareness of child abuse and child protection, the NCA will educate Balenciaga on the actions that adults can take to further protect children.

Thanks to Balenciaga’s endowment, the NCA will be able to train close to 2,000 child abuse counsellors which will in turn benefit around 55,000 victims, the press release said. 

The company in the statement: ‘We were confronted with the reality and magnitude of childhood trauma during our listening tour where we engaged with several leading organizations and experts in the field of childhood trauma.’

Outrage: There is continued anger over Balenciaga’s campaigns. Actress Anna Lynne McCord leads  a protest outside the Rodeo Drive store earlier this month

The press release went on to say that the company will continue to work towards creating a more positive environment for children. 

 The NCA works with nearly 400,000 children across the US every year. The non-profit created a mental health institute in 2022. 

In December, Balenciaga’s creative director and chief executive officer both apologized for the now-infamous advertising campaign. 

The campaign likely impacted the label’s fourth quarter sales with one analyst calling it a ‘PR blow-up.’ The annual earnings report is due out on February 2021. In 2021, Balenciaga did around $1.8 billion in sales. 

The storm over the campaign led reality television star Kim Kardashian to review her ties with the label.

‘I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids,’ said creative director Demna Gvasalia, known as Demna, in a message posted on Instagram. 

Separately, the Kering-owned label issued a statement signed by Charbit outlining new internal processes, including naming an “image board” to evaluate content.

The label drew fire in recent months over two separate campaigns that were posted online. One last month, advertising a gift collection, featured a handbag in the form of a stuffed teddy bear in bondage-style straps, held by children. 

The Balenciaga gifting campaign which showed young child models posing with BDSM-styled bears on a set that was staged to look like a party

Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault earlier said that the company will not pursue legal action relating to the controversial ad campaign

Balenciaga’s creative director Demna is being allowed to continue on in the role despite growing outrage over its use of children in a bondage-styled shoot

A second, separate campaign for the label’s spring 2023 collection, set in an office, included papers featuring text from a 2008 Supreme Court ruling relating to child pornography.

In the December statement, Balenciaga apologized and said that investigations into the ad campaigns were ongoing. 

It said the papers featuring the legal text on child pornography were props from a third party and that it had filed a complaint against the inclusion of the ‘unapproved documents.’ 

The company also walked back its original plan to pursue litigation against the creative team behind the campaign. Charbit said: ‘I want to personally reiterate my sincere apologies for the offense caused and take my responsibility.’ 

Balenciaga is due to hold a women’s ready-to-wear show at Paris Fashion Week on March 5, marking the brand’s return to the spotlight.  

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