‘Controversial campaign with children could harm luxury fashion brand Balenciaga’

NOS News•today, 19:14

After fashion shows https://twitter.com/BritishVogue/status/1576538605350182912 and snow, very expensive broken shoes, and handbags that look just like the blue IKEA shoppers, the luxury fashion house Balenciaga has once again managed to draw attention to itself with a new campaign.

This time not because of the collection itself, but because of what the accompanying campaign photos showed: young girls with plush teddy bears with bondage items attached, such as harnesses and bdsm-style collars. One of the advertisements would also show a document that – after zooming in considerably – seems to refer to a lawsuit about child pornography.

The campaign material sparked a storm of criticism online, prompting Balenciaga to remove all advertising photos. In a statement, the originally Spanish fashion brand apologized for, among other things, the “disturbing documents” in the advertisements. Also, the “plush teddy bear handbags” should not have been photographed with children, according to the fashion house.

Balenciaga is no stranger to a little controversy. Previously, the company attracted attention with a pair of sweatpants in which a different piece of fabric was sewn to the top, in such a way that it looked like boxer shorts came out above the elastic. According to critics, the fashion brand was guilty of cultural appropriation, because low-rise pants became fashionable in the hip-hop community and were also used to criminalize black people.

The much-discussed ‘destroyed’ shoes:

“Balenciaga likes to kick sacred cows,” says Georgette Koning, editor-in-chief of fashion and beauty magazine Mirror Mirror. “They keep coming up with different ways to bring the brand to the attention.”

A crucial player in this regard is the creative director of the fashion house, Demna Gvasalia. The Georgian took office in 2015 and has brought about many changes since then. “That man is a genius at marketing,” says Koning. “His ideas are always picked up on.”

For example, in 2017 Balenciaga came up with a blue leather bag – price tag: over $ 2100 – that looked very similar to the well-known shoppers from IKEA:

The fact that Balenciaga is working with Kim Kardashian also contributes to the marketing success, thinks Koning. “Other fashion brands would have turned their noses up at that, and perhaps still do. They more often reach for models or actresses who have ‘achieved’ something. And in the eyes of many people, Kim Kardashian has only become known for her appearance and connections.”

Some critics are now calling on Kardashian to speak out against Balenciaga’s latest campaign. In the Netherlands, the organization Free A Girl, which frees underage girls from the sex industry worldwide, calls on De Bijenkorf to take action. De Bijenkorf is one of the few Balenciaga outlets in the Netherlands.

Marketing professor Willemijn van Dolen, affiliated with the University of Amsterdam, suspects that the luxury fashion brand deliberately wanted to shock in order to get attention. “This brand was already used to standing out, so they have to go step by step. They clearly succeeded, but with very negative reactions as a result. I can’t imagine that was the goal.”

According to Van Dolen, more and more brands are speaking out about, for example, political and social issues, anticipating their supporters and opponents. “But I can’t find any positive association in this campaign. I’m surprised that no one has said: this is not a good idea.”

But if getting attention has been Balenciaga’s goal, hasn’t the brand succeeded? “It is really no longer the case that all publicity is good publicity”, Van Dolen knows from research. “Negative publicity does damage the image people have of a brand. And that certainly applies to this brand, because that is already very well known. You still prefer not to have a riot with unknown brands, but then at least everyone will have you heard.”

Kim Kardashian attracted attention at the Met Gala last year with her (literally) head-to-toe black outfit:

Fashion publicist Koning looks at Balenciaga’s campaign from a different angle. According to her, a fashion brand can’t go far enough. “That’s artistic freedom,” she says. “And something like that isn’t just done, it comes from a concept.”

As an example, Koning mentions Balenciaga’s ‘kicked off’ shoes. In a statement at the time, the fashion house said the sneakers were deliberately worn and dirty, to show they were meant to be “worn for a lifetime”.

“Although the brand pushes the boundaries, it is being thought about,” says Koning.