Kim Kardashian ‘re-evaluating’ Balenciaga ties after controversial ads

AFP
3 Min Read
Published by
AFP
Kim Kardashian is a celebrity brand ambassador for luxury fashion house Balenciaga

New York (AFP) – Reality show star and social media titan Kim Kardashian said she is “re-evaluating” her involvement with luxury fashion house Balenciaga, after it apologized for ads featuring children holding teddy bears wearing what critics called bondage gear.

The French brand, part of the luxury Kering group, last week withdrew the photos from the Spring/Summer 2023 advertising campaign. Two of them showed young children holding handbags in the shape of teddy bears, which were wearing black leather straps with silver studs.

Internet commentators noticed another photo from a Balenciaga-Adidas ad collaboration showed printed documents from a US Supreme Court ruling on child pornography, after the revelation of which Balenciaga filed a $25 million lawsuit against the company that produced the advertisements, according to reports. 

“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” Kardashian, a celebrity ambassador for the brand, wrote on Instagram Sunday night, adding that she had spent the last few days talking with the Balenciaga team “to understand for myself how this could have happened.”

“The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period,” she wrote.

“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand,” the star posted to her account, which has 74 million followers.

Last week, Balenciaga posted an apology on its own Instagram account. 

“Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms,” the post said. 

They then posted another apology, this time addressing the ad that featured the court documents referencing child pornography laws.  

“We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot,” the post said.

Balenciaga ended their partnership with Kardashian’s ex-husband, rapper and designer Kanye West, last month after West, also known as Ye, posted an anti-Semitic tweet and appeared at a Paris fashion show wearing a shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter,” a rebuke to the Black Lives Matter racial equality movement.


HOT DEALS

nutribullet PRO Single Serve Blender
  • Save $46.78 on the nutribullet PRO Single Serve Blender (900W) in matte lavender! Optimized 900-Watt motor and refined nutrient extraction blades blend the toughest whole foods into nutritious shakes, smoothies, and nut butters. [Best Buy]
  • Save $120 on the Shark Navigator Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum! A 2-in-1 Powered Lift-Away® upright vacuum with a detachable canister for portable cleaning. With the touch of a button, Powered Lift-Away® technology allows you to lift the canister away and deep-clean hard-to-reach areas while still delivering power to keep the brushroll spinning. [Target]
  • Save $30 on the Ninja™ CREAMi™ Ice Cream Maker, 5 One-Touch Programs, with 2 Pints Included! Turn almost anything into ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes, and more. [Walmart]
  • Save $100 on the KitchenAid Artisan 10-Speed Stand Mixer – Hearth & Hand™ with Magnolia! This KitchenAid Artisan® Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer offers the capacity to make up to 9 dozen cookies in a single batch. And, it features 10 speeds to thoroughly mix, knead and whip ingredients quickly and easily. [Target]
  • Save up to 50% on a Nectar mattress. The Nectar Spring Into Savings Sale is here, with some of the deepest discounts we’ve seen on their popular memory foam mattresses and sleep bundles. [Nectar]
  • Save $500 on the Samsung – 55” Class LS03D The Frame Series QLED 4K with Anti-Reflection and Slim Fit Wall Mount Included (2024). [Best Buy]
  • Save $50 with code! Theragun Prime is a powerful, easy-to-use massage gun in a simple design for effective pain relief. Whether you’re recovering from the daily grind or fueling your active lifestyle, its deep, targeted massage helps your body feel its best. [Therabody]
  • Save 5% on the Bombas Men’s Gripper Ankle Sock 4-Pack. [Bombas]

Like most websites, Socialite Life uses affiliate links where available, which means we earn a little commission if you click through and buy something. Also, as Amazon Influencers, we earn from qualifying purchases. Savings shown are those from the date and time of this article’s publication.

Share This Article