Balenciaga is working with a children’s charity “to learn more about how they can protect children” three months after child porn and bondage bear scandals
Embattled French fashion house Balenciaga is working with a children’s charity to salvage its reputation after ad campaigns that featured documents about child pornography and teddy bears in bondage gear.
On Wednesday, the label and its parent company, the Kering Foundation, announced that they have begun a three-year partnership with the Washington DC-based National Children’s Alliance.
According to a statement, Balenciaga will work with the NCA to help children heal from abuse-related trauma, promote public awareness of child abuse and child protection, the NCA will educate Balenciaga on the steps adults can take to help children further to protect.
Thanks to Balenciaga’s foundation, the NCA will be able to train nearly 2,000 child abuse counselors, who in turn will 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, which included engaging with several leading organizations and experts in the field of childhood trauma.”
Outrage: Anger at Balenciaga’s campaigns continues. 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 to create a more positive environment for children.
The NCA works with nearly 400,000 children in the United States each year. The nonprofit founded a mental health institute in 2022.
In December, Balenciaga’s creative director and chief executive officer apologized for the now infamous ad campaign.
The campaign likely impacted the label’s fourth-quarter sales, with one analyst calling it a “PR blow-up.” The annual results report is scheduled to be published in February 2021. In 2021, Balenciaga had sales of around $1.8 billion.
The storm over the campaign prompted reality TV star Kim Kardashian to reconsider her ties to the label.
“I would like to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of the concept for the gift campaign with the children,” Creative Director Demna Gvasalia, known as Demna, said 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 has been drawing fire in recent months over two separate campaigns that have been posted online. One last month promoting a gift collection featured a handbag in the shape of a stuffed teddy bear in bondage-style straps held by children.
The Balenciaga gifts campaign, which saw little child models posing with BDSM-style bears on what looked like a party
Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault previously said the company would not take any legal action related to the controversial ad campaign
Demna, Balenciaga’s creative director, has been allowed to continue the role despite growing outrage over the use of children in a bondage-style shoot
A second, separate campaign for the label’s Spring 2023 collection, which took place in an office, featured papers with text from a 2008 Supreme Court ruling relating to child pornography.
In the December statement, Balenciaga apologized and said investigations into the ad campaigns are ongoing.
She said the papers containing the text of the child pornography law were props from a third party and she had filed a complaint against the inclusion of the “unauthorized documents.”
The company also backed off from its original plan to pursue a legal battle against the creative team behind the campaign. Charbit said, “I personally want to sincerely apologize for the offense caused and accept my responsibility.”
Balenciaga will host a women’s ready-to-wear show at Paris Fashion Week on March 5 to mark the brand’s return to the spotlight.