Bears repeating!
Also, let’s stick closely to topic, it really helps preventing tangents and drama.
Also, let’s stick closely to topic, it really helps preventing tangents and drama.
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What do y'all think about the Balenciaga SS23 & Adidas collab "teddy" controversy?
- Thread starter MooMooVT
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Honestly then it’s more important than ever to increase pressure on these retailers. To show them that this behavior is not something that should be tolerated. Or else Balenciaga is just going to get away with it. Like RitaLA showed, these retailers ended contracts and whatnot for way less.They're waiting it out to see how the next week or so goes.
I’m going to email them and see what happens.
Fair enough. I have their bags too. I can see how some may separate the product from the people now but I personally won’t be using my moto bag for a while and that’s my personal choice.
It's almost 2023. Art that promotes child pornography should not belong in our modern society.
Off-topic: Elon and Kanye deserve to be canceled. Demna, Adidas and everyone involved in it do too.
I have a few Balenciaga bags that I got long long time ago. I'm not gonna get rid of them but I don't be buying anything new from them either.
Demna has been trolling us with all those crazy trash-bag bags, Ikea-shopping-bag bags and the Lays chips bags etc but this time his 'art' has gone way too far.
I'm not a Bal customer, so my opinion is about as shallow as my bank account. 
However, I was quite horrified by the headlines around this, and my stomach sank to learn that the headlines were not exaggerating and the imagery does contain deeply disturbing elements. I'm now schooled on something I wish I'd never heard of (panda eyes). Just typing it out makes my stomach turn and that is no exaggeration. 
It's hard reading this thread and seeing members judge each other for varying reactions. Any and all judgement and displeasure ought to be aimed at the house, the creatives and the executives who took this concept from pitch to publication.
Focusing on how outraged others are (or aren't) detracts from the focal point of how the brand- that has arguably been trolling for a couple of years now- felt empowered to make these decisions and expected its clientele to hype it up with online debates. That's fundamentally wrong from a moral, business and marketing standpoint. It's lazy to rely on outrage and ridicule to keep your name in the papers, and it's repulsive to use such dark themes to garner that outrage in the first place.
What I would have liked is a clear statement as to what their artistic vision was. Now, before I get slammed for saying that, let me be clear that I would have absolutely condemned it anyway. This is beyond the pale- there is no doubt about that. However, some context would allow customers to make informed decisions about what their association with the brand will be moving forward.
Was this just them attempting to be edgy to garner as much press as possible, possibly in the hopes of going viral with this controversial campaign?
Or was it meant to be a social commentary of sorts? A mirror held up to showcase how society currently exploits children without consequence? Because, let's be honest, between celebrities and influencers posting their kids all over their social media, kids are being exploited for monetary gain all the time (and there is a darker side to those pictures being on social media sites as this campaign has shown us).
Or was it some other concept entirely that perhaps my unartistic mind cannot conceive?
I can't say that any of those possibilities would make this any more palatable. I would be horrified regardless, but people who have spent a lot of money on this house ought to have more context and a clearer answer from the house. By hiding all their social media pages, Bal are silencing an important conversation, which is problematic in itself!
As I said at the start of this, I'm not a customer, I will never be a customer, and my opinion means as little to Bal as they do to me. However, I live with myself and I have to be sure my choices reflect my values. In the same way that learning more about Chanel, Minkoff, Wang, and Bond. no. 9 (perfumery) means that I will never own any of their products, this campaign means that I will forever be disgusted by Bal.
Do I think I can make a difference to those massive brands by not shopping with them: absolutely not. But in choosing to spend my money with people who share my values, I am able to sleep better at night.
However, that is my personal decision for my life. I will not judge others if they come to a different conclusion.
My heart goes out to their once loyal fans who lovingly carried their bags and rocked their rtw and shoes. The house has put their customers in between a rock and a hard place. Those customers (of old or new Bal) will be judged, one way or another and- as this thread has shown- they will be judged just as harshly as the brand itself.
Edit: I just recalled that there was a similar issue with Celine Dion's kids clothing line...something about the imagery being inappropriate too but I don't recall the details. It didn't garner as much attention as Bal is but, it upset some people.
However, I was quite horrified by the headlines around this, and my stomach sank to learn that the headlines were not exaggerating and the imagery does contain deeply disturbing elements. I'm now schooled on something I wish I'd never heard of (panda eyes). Just typing it out makes my stomach turn and that is no exaggeration. It's hard reading this thread and seeing members judge each other for varying reactions. Any and all judgement and displeasure ought to be aimed at the house, the creatives and the executives who took this concept from pitch to publication.
Focusing on how outraged others are (or aren't) detracts from the focal point of how the brand- that has arguably been trolling for a couple of years now- felt empowered to make these decisions and expected its clientele to hype it up with online debates. That's fundamentally wrong from a moral, business and marketing standpoint. It's lazy to rely on outrage and ridicule to keep your name in the papers, and it's repulsive to use such dark themes to garner that outrage in the first place.
What I would have liked is a clear statement as to what their artistic vision was. Now, before I get slammed for saying that, let me be clear that I would have absolutely condemned it anyway. This is beyond the pale- there is no doubt about that. However, some context would allow customers to make informed decisions about what their association with the brand will be moving forward.
Was this just them attempting to be edgy to garner as much press as possible, possibly in the hopes of going viral with this controversial campaign?
Or was it meant to be a social commentary of sorts? A mirror held up to showcase how society currently exploits children without consequence? Because, let's be honest, between celebrities and influencers posting their kids all over their social media, kids are being exploited for monetary gain all the time (and there is a darker side to those pictures being on social media sites as this campaign has shown us).
Or was it some other concept entirely that perhaps my unartistic mind cannot conceive?
I can't say that any of those possibilities would make this any more palatable. I would be horrified regardless, but people who have spent a lot of money on this house ought to have more context and a clearer answer from the house. By hiding all their social media pages, Bal are silencing an important conversation, which is problematic in itself!
As I said at the start of this, I'm not a customer, I will never be a customer, and my opinion means as little to Bal as they do to me. However, I live with myself and I have to be sure my choices reflect my values. In the same way that learning more about Chanel, Minkoff, Wang, and Bond. no. 9 (perfumery) means that I will never own any of their products, this campaign means that I will forever be disgusted by Bal.
Do I think I can make a difference to those massive brands by not shopping with them: absolutely not. But in choosing to spend my money with people who share my values, I am able to sleep better at night.
However, that is my personal decision for my life. I will not judge others if they come to a different conclusion.
My heart goes out to their once loyal fans who lovingly carried their bags and rocked their rtw and shoes. The house has put their customers in between a rock and a hard place. Those customers (of old or new Bal) will be judged, one way or another and- as this thread has shown- they will be judged just as harshly as the brand itself.
Edit: I just recalled that there was a similar issue with Celine Dion's kids clothing line...something about the imagery being inappropriate too but I don't recall the details. It didn't garner as much attention as Bal is but, it upset some people.
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The campaign is grim. Have never felt a pull for any of their products anyways but I like many others am put off for life. If they think this imagery is acceptable or appropriate, people need to now vote with their feet and show them they are wrong. The mind boggles as to how any of this was published and just how much they have got away with previously to feel emboldened to put this grimness out. Balenciaga for me is cancelled.
Read:
"Actually i don't care but y'all escalated that much that I decided to write a few meaningless words and to go back to normal, earning money from B. Life's good, as long as your aren't one of these traumatized children, who again, are not my children, so it's ok."
*vomitting*
Oh and Kanye didn't say a word about this disgusting behavior of those people WHEN HE WAS THE FACE of Balenciaga. I'm sure he knew, he was Demna's good friend after all. Now suddenly he's being praised when he said it was the most freeing and liberating thing when he was dropped by Balenciaga. Come on y'all. They were all in this together before this blew up.
Um...advertisers are not leaving twitter because those companies are against free speech.
uptdate, this is the "new" pic:
much better. not.
much better. not.
They really should have left children completely out of their campaign.
Gabriele Galimberti (bear bag campaign) and Chris Maggio (SS2023 Adidas collab) are both men (as is the set designer Bal is suing) - not that it matters except in keeping the facts accurate.
I don't see any way Maggio could have known the details of what was on set (as in, which papers are piled up); that's not how fashion photography works (which is likely why the brand isn't taking action against the photogs).
As a photography student I notice that a lot of the fashion brands contract out the labor for the shoots here. Often with social media the cycle has to be quick so often things don’t get vetted.
At this point I thought that the YSL Opium ad with Sophie Dahl was way more problematic as a male feminist.
And that is why I really like Balenciaga. It is very pessimistic and fits well with my deconstructionist philosophy and archaeological tendencies. Playfulness and destruction rolled up in one.