On November 27, Kim Kardashian decided to speak on Twitter about the widely publicized Balenciaga scandal. In her initial statement on the subject, Kim clarified why it took her so long to publicly address the brand's contentious campaign, which featured kids posing with BDSM-related merchandise.
Kim clarified her current relationship status with Balenciaga in a follow-up post she shared shortly after making her initial statement.
"Regarding my future with Balenciaga, I am reassessing our partnership based on their willingness to take responsibility for an incident that should have never happened in the first place and the steps I anticipate them taking to safeguard children."
Following the release of the advertisement and its subsequent removal, Kardashian received requests from her supporters and fans to address the matter. Currently, she has issued a statement on Twitter, claiming that she has spoken with the brand's marketing team to comprehend what transpired. She concluded her statement by stating that she had accepted the apology from the company, which explained that it was taking the "necessary steps" to ensure that it never happened again.
However, Kardashian didn't divulge any specifics about what was talked about.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been shocked and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened.
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by those disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and anything against it should have no place in our society — period.
“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”
Some fans took issue with the statement because they believed it indicated that Kardashian was waiting for the controversy to "blow over." Some questioned why no one from the production team or the brand accepted responsibility for the uproar.
The photographer, Gabriel Galimberti, posted a statement on Instagram last week. He claimed that he had no control over the props used on the set and was merely carrying out orders.
Balenciaga apologized on Instagram and said it had sued the production company for $25 million, adding that it was unaware of the content captured during the photo shoot. Since then, Balenciaga has made its Instagram account private and deleted all of its posts.
Kim Kardashian has been asked to speak out after the upsetting Balenciaga campaign
Fashion designers are frequently at the forefront of breaking down barriers to freedom of expression, particularly in the realms of gender identity, sexual expression, and even political stances. Some lines should not be crossed, most notably in children's fashion, which Balenciaga appeared to completely disregard. Fans are now asking Balenciaga brand ambassador and mother Kim Kardashian, for her opinion.
Brands have recently pushed their children's lines further and further in recent years, with fashionable parents around town wanting to dress their children in only the finest of designs. Many people are perplexed as to why you would spend so much money dressing up your child to look “fashionable” when they will grow out of them within months and can often restrict them from just being kids.
Balenciaga's recent campaign, on the other hand, does more than show children dressed in designer clothing. The creepy campaign depicts two young girls holding teddy bears dressed in bondage attire, complete with chokers, body chains, and straps. The negative response to the release of this campaign prompted the brand to remove the images, but the replacements were not much better.
One photo showed a Balenciaga bag placed on a table with a document from the court case Ashcroft vs. Free Speech Coalition, a case which ruled in favor of virtual child pornography. Another had a model in an office environment, and one of the books on her desk was a book with artwork depicting naked children covered in blood.
Now fans are calling on Kim Kardashian, a mother with her own young daughters, to use her position as a social media influencer and brand ambassador to Balenciaga to denounce the recent creative decisions of the brand.