Luxury fashion brand Balenciaga has been in the news this week for a campaign they released involving children that have links to bondage, child porn, child abuse and demonic themes. The brand has received a lot of backlash in the media, including from a lot of celebrities that have spoken out about it, and Balenciaga have had to remove campaign and apologise.
Their controversial campaign included:
- Child’s drawing of devils in the background (identical to the one in insidious)
- Dogs with padlocks around their necks
- Tape with two As to misspell Balenciaga so it was showing the word ‘BAAL’ who is demon
- Carpet positioned and laid out in the same way as a Ouija board
The brand has admitted to ‘grievous errors’ after backlash to campaigns that included images of children holding BDSM teddies
But it doesn’t end there…
The brand is being accused of their recent campaign making links with paedophilia rings, blood ritual, dark religiosity, occultism, racism, cannibalism and demon worshipping …
In 2013, a shoot of a bag is seen to be placed on top of a US Supreme Court document from the case United States v. Williams, 553 U.S. 285 (2008), a decision on child pornography; and in another photoshoot, books about Belgian artist Michaël Borremans (controversially famous for artwork showing people dressed in all-black as they seemingly perform some type of ritual with children involved, and some indecent paintings of children, linking to themes of paedophilia and satanism) are in seen the background of the Balenciaga office.
Common themes reoccurring in the brands photographs:
- Blood (in bags, stained floor around the set of where photos are taken)
- Inappropriate items around children
- Bruising and cuts on models
- Use of dolls and disturbing teddy bears in runways
Balenciaga are now seeking $25 million in damages from the shoot’s production company, North Six, and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins. Stylist Lotta Volkova (who hasn’t worked with the brand since 2018) was forced to go private on Instagram after it was trawled for proof of satanic behaviour behind Balenciaga walls. Kim Kardashian, who has been the brands well known ambassador, has spoken out on Instagram and said that she is “re-evaluating” her working relationship with the brand.
The Detrimental Effect of Fashion on Children’s Rights – Links to Fast Fashion?
In recent times, it has not been uncommon to see other fast fashion brands hit the headlines with accusations of breaching children’s rights:
- PLT
- Primark
- Shein
