Balenciaga is getting MAJOR backlash for its bondage-inspired kid's clothing campaign ... and celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid are even feeling the heat because of their connection to the company.
The luxury fashion brand rolled out the shocking ads for its spring 2023 collection. The photos depicted children gripping teddy bears clad in S&M gear, and quickly started going viral. Almost immediately, people responded with outrage on social media, demanding a boycott of the company.
Balenciaga executives quickly pulled all the ads Tuesday and issued an apology. Their statement read, "We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms."
The execs went on to say they plan to take legal action against the creators of the ads, which they claim were "unapproved." They added, "We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being.”
the brand "Balenciaga" just did a uh..... interesting... photoshoot for their new products recently which included a very purposely poorly hidden court document about 'virtual child porn'
— shoe (@shoe0nhead) November 21, 2022
normal stuff pic.twitter.com/zjMN5WhZ0s
But, people on social media were still pissed and took their rage out on Kim K and Bella Hadid for their association with the company. Kim, as you know, is the founder of SKIMS, which has long worked with Balenciaga. Bella is one of Balenciaga's supermodels.
One fan wrote, "When are you going to respond Kim?! Your reputation is on the line here."
Another said, "Celebrities like Bella Hadid are quick to jump on the BLM and misgendering bandwagon but happy to promote Balenciaga's child porn campaign. These people have been compromised, they're satanic and are promoting the devil's work. It's evil."
Seemingly in response, Bella erased her latest Balenciaga ad campaign from her Instagram, but she has yet to comment on the matter. Kim K has also stayed mum.