What do y'all think about the Balenciaga SS23 & Adidas collab "teddy" controversy?

What's your take in the Balenciaga teddy bear controversay?

  • It's harmless

    Votes: 23 3.2%
  • It's disgusting

    Votes: 554 76.7%
  • It's just to garner attention - Balenciaga being Balenciaga

    Votes: 94 13.0%
  • I don't know what to think

    Votes: 46 6.4%
  • What controversay? (links in post)

    Votes: 5 0.7%

  • Total voters
    722

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Bears repeating!
We'd like to leave this thread open, but political conspiracy theories, among other comments need to stop. Discuss the topic only please, let's keep the discussion open and all responses to others need to remain respectful.


Also, let’s stick closely to topic, it really helps preventing tangents and drama.
 
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I saw this image from The Babylon Bee (a satirical online publication) just this morning, and I think it accurately reflects what will happen regarding celebrity endorsements of the brands involved in this disgustingly unacceptable ad campaign-- absolutely nothing! Sadly, I don't think any celebrity will step away from Balenciaga over this sickening scandal. The idea of keeping children safe from sexual predators isn't an important issue to celebrities, whereas persecuting anyone of a different political ideology is a reason to distance from a brand or a designer for these celebrities that so many people follow and adore. Only the Balenciaga and Adidas customer can step away and show the brand what they think of this clearly intentional "sexualization of children" campaign by purchasing items from different brands. Stocks can be easily manipulated by people with enough money to do so. The consumer has the ultimate power, however, to sink a brand, if the consumer so chooses.

ETA: Clearly, the photo below was manipulated by The Babylon Bee, and there is/was no MyPillow pillow in the Balenciaga photo shoot.
 
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I saw this image from The Babylon Bee (a satirical online publication) just this morning, and I think it accurately reflects what will happen regarding celebrity endorsements of the brands involved in this disgustingly unacceptable ad campaign-- absolutely nothing! Sadly, I don't think any celebrity will step away from Balenciaga over this sickening scandal. The idea of keeping children safe from sexual predators isn't an important issue to celebrities, whereas persecuting anyone of a different political ideology is a reason to distance from a brand or a designer for these celebrities that so many people follow and adore. Only the Balenciaga and Adidas customer can step away and show the brand what they think of this clearly intentional "sexualization of children" campaign by purchasing items from different brands. Stocks can be easily manipulated by people with enough money to do so. The consumer has the ultimate power, however, to sink a brand, if the consumer so chooses.

ETA: Clearly, the photo below was manipulated by The Babylon Bee, and there is/was no MyPillow pillow in the Balenciaga photo shoot.

View attachment 5662691
I saw this last night online and cackled. Because they’re right. Americans seem to care more about one’s political leanings than child sexual exploitation
 
Agree. I found it to be alarming, offensive, and smacking of outrageous conspiracy theories surrounding well known Jewish figures. Especially if a particular post did not know they were Jewish, (which indicates to me how pervasive and sneaky the tropes are), to interject them all here in this balenciaga mess, smacks of the same kind of thoughtlessness that we attribute to Kering Group.

I am not solely referring to the one post quoted by @jellyv. Several contributors to this thread have made general disparaging remarks about elites, woke media (NYT; WaPo; etc) and nebulous wealthy behind the scenes powers — all of which are infamous antisemitic tropes — that the posts have connected to pedophilia; “pizzagate is real” statement (made by the same poster); and now Balenciaga WTF.

ETA : To be more specific, persecution of ‘people in control and holding a large amount of financial assets’ has been an ignorant and racist trope since the Middle Ages and culminating against the Jews in WWII. I sincerely question anyone who claims ignorance of these tropes (starting with Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice) onward. Tagging @trippinonsunshine bc she posted a query about antisemitic tropes.

ETA : I find the balenciaga campaign totally offensive; however someone else posted a query as to how the suits could have approved it; questioned what the brief could be; or asked how the brand could begin to apologize. I would hazard a guess that a p*ss poor explanation might run like this:

We made a serious and offensive error in judgment. We are a brand known for being controversial and edgy, and thought this ad would be no worse than Thierry Muglier Virgin No. 1, Scent of a Murder. The juxtaposition of a child, representing human innocence, being confronted or surrounded by a tawdry and sinful world of salacious [albeit criminal] temptation, seemed like a novel way of presenting our latest damn bag. In other words, the idiotic balenciaga apology would be, oops, we were trying for louche fashion and wandered into seemingly casual acceptance if not active promotion of criminal pedophilia.

To tie my comment together, just as this parody of an apology is ridiculous, so are some of these antisemitism tropes, that didn’t just lead to a crappy ad campaign, but to WWII genocide.
Agree. I found it to be alarming, offensive, and smacking of outrageous conspiracy theories surrounding well known Jewish figures. Especially if a particular post did not know they were Jewish, (which indicates to me how pervasive and sneaky the tropes are), to interject them all here in this balenciaga mess, smacks of the same kind of thoughtlessness that we attribute to Kering Group.

I am not solely referring to the one post quoted by @jellyv. Several contributors to this thread have made general disparaging remarks about elites, woke media (NYT; WaPo; etc) and nebulous wealthy behind the scenes powers — all of which are infamous antisemitic tropes — that the posts have connected to pedophilia; “pizzagate is real” statement (made by the same poster); and now Balenciaga WTF.

ETA : To be more specific, persecution of ‘people in control and holding a large amount of financial assets’ has been an ignorant and racist trope since the Middle Ages and culminating against the Jews in WWII. I sincerely question anyone who claims ignorance of these tropes (starting with Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice) onward. Tagging @trippinonsunshine bc she posted a query about antisemitic tropes.

ETA : I find the balenciaga campaign totally offensive; however someone else posted a query as to how the suits could have approved it; questioned what the brief could be; or asked how the brand could begin to apologize. I would hazard a guess that a p*ss poor explanation might run like this:

We made a serious and offensive error in judgment. We are a brand known for being controversial and edgy, and thought this ad would be no worse than Thierry Muglier Virgin No. 1, Scent of a Murder. The juxtaposition of a child, representing human innocence, being confronted or surrounded by a tawdry and sinful world of salacious [albeit criminal] temptation, seemed like a novel way of presenting our latest damn bag. In other words, the idiotic balenciaga apology would be, oops, we were trying for louche fashion and wandered into seemingly casual acceptance if not active promotion of criminal pedophilia.

To tie my comment together, just as this parody of an apology is ridiculous, so are some of these antisemitism tropes, that didn’t just lead to a crappy ad campaign, but to WWII genocide.

I truly appreciate the tag and the obvious ignorance I have concerning this subject matter. Perhaps the silver lining of this horrid situation is that I (perhaps others like myself) might learn more about these other areas discussed from which I have no knowledge or understanding. Truthfully, I feel I need to research all of this and like everything these days it seems like work to investigate and not be taken in by various media sources, in order to obtain an objective viewpoint. That is a whole other topic of discussion. The fact is, as such, this will be an exhaustive process that I intend to follow through on. If anyone wishes to message me (to keep this thread on topic -- although I believe there are others in my situation that could stand to gain from proceeding with this in an open forum). I'd appreciate key words, subject lines that point to these areas and allow me to learn. As an aside the mock B. apology statement 880 was likely spot on! I do know that the campaign featuring these children appeared very inappropriate and my heart hurts on that aspect of all of this.
 
The way to ascertain whether a comment is antisemitic, or not, is to ask if the person commenting would still hold the same opinion if the people listed were not Jewish.

If they still would, it can't, logically, be viewed as antisemitic.

...and bearing in mind that some of the people listed are not Jewish, it would strongly suggest that s/he would still hold that same opinion if they all weren't.

So, s/he's not being antisemitic.
 
I have mostly observed Balenciaga from afar through pictures of their shows in the news or by walking past their headquarters in the 7eme arrondissement. Also, I personally don’t own any Balenciaga pieces, but we have been a long term customer of Brioni. Additionally, I have friends who went to school with the Pinault. As such, I have spoken to and hear of the family in the Parisian circle, and I find this very shocking that they would allow this to happen. So while this is my first time in the Balenciaga forum and unfamiliar with its universe, I am greatly shocked by Kering as the parent company. I would like to see more accountability from not only Balenciaga but also Kering as a group. The same way Balenciaga used their platform to support and help Ukraine, I hope the platform will be used to create a positive change to truly take account and make a change.

I highlighted that statement from your post because I don't think we'll be seeing more if any accountability. However, I want to point out this is what Denma shared this for the Spring/Summer collection which includes the questionable bears:

"One needs to have courage and persistence to truly assume their identity and who they really are. Every day becomes a battlefield to defend this unique identity. And the more you try to be yourself, the more you get punched in your face. But how great it is to be different from one another." Further down he said, "I've decided to no longer explain my collections and verbalize my designs, but to express my state of mind."




Sustainability has been a fundamental issue for Kering, and sustainability is not simply about the environment. Rather the social and governance aspects are just as important if not more. These campaigns completely go against these principles. Beyond the stakeholder and customer dissent, I hope shareholders also react to this and hold Balenciaga and Kering accountable.
What sustainability? :eek::confused1: 275 cubic metres of mud from a peat bog!

Screenshot 2022-12-01 at 14.23.19.png
Guess it's just more lip service, much like not using models aged below 18. :blah:
 
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Yes it is and I find that book highly disturbing AND terribly written. Can't read it. Same applies to Nabokov Lolita. That will make me feel sick to the gut (like " I want to vomit sick to the gut" but nobody seems to care...). Don't understand why these books will be sold up till today.

as it is called collier die chien (DCD) which translates into dog collar I guess it comes from the dog - hunting- space? Would fit to the history of H. ?
Yes I realized later when I was rereading and reading down further that it literally has dog in the name.
 
I’m not really one to get involved in internet debates, but I thought I would share another perspective on the issue of what to do with your current Balenciaga pieces.

I’ll preface this with a little context. I have never followed Balenciaga and didn’t own anything until very recently. I don’t like the new designs at all but I have recently been more into vintage/secondhand bags and thought the moto bags were a cool vintage piece that held up well. Unfortunately for me, I just purchased one of these old style moto bags from eBay right before this ad scandal.

I find the ads as troubling as many people here have expressed, and I don’t see how this could possibly be excused as a mistake. I don’t really associate the old Balenciaga designs with the current brand, but it is personally difficult to separate it from this issue or at least not be reminded. I also personally think customers should be outraged not just by the indecency of these ads, but that this brand is taking advantage of customer support to fund this kind of messaging.

So, I have been concerned about what to do with the Balenciaga bag I now have. I initially thought, as some others have said, that I wouldn’t want to promote the brand by carrying anything from the label. I also do understand that others who have had those older styles for years would be able to separate them from the current state of the brand and this ad issue. For me, since I literally just got my bag right before this scandal, it feels like a pointed reminder. I was discussing this issue with my brother (who has never owned anything designer in his life and is very much outside of this), and he suggested that selling the bag on the resale market would actually hurt the brand today. His reasoning was that the resale market takes away from potential sales for the brand. If we buy/sell previous designs, we are keeping those dollars that the brand might otherwise get. Just a thought for those considering reselling. I’m sure this isn’t perfect logic, but it’s something to consider/discuss.
 
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I’m not really one to get involved in internet debates, but I thought I would share another perspective on the issue of what to do with your current Balenciaga pieces.

I’ll preface this with a little context. I have never followed Balenciaga and didn’t own anything until very recently. I don’t like the new designs at all but I have recently been more into vintage/secondhand bags and thought the moto bags were a cool vintage piece that held up well. Unfortunately for me, I just purchased one of these old style moto bags from eBay right before this ad scandal.

I find the ads as troubling as many people here have expressed, and I don’t see how this could possibly be excused as a mistake. I don’t really associate the old Balenciaga designs with the current brand, but it is personally difficult to separate it from this issue or at least not be reminded. I also personally think customers should be outraged not just by the indecency of these ads, but that this brand is taking advantage of customer support to fund this kind of messaging.

So, I have been concerned about what to do with the Balenciaga bag I now have. I initially thought, as some others have said, that I wouldn’t want to promote the brand by carrying anything from the label. I also do understand that others who have had those older styles for years would be able to separate them from the current state of the brand and this ad issue. For me, since I literally just got my bag right before this scandal, it feels like a pointed reminder. I was discussing this issue with my brother (who has never owned anything designer in his life and is very much outside of this), and he suggested that selling the bag on the resale market would actually hurt the brand today. His reasoning was that the resale market takes away from potential sales for the brand. If we buy/sell previous designs, we are keeping those dollars that the brand might otherwise get. Just a thought for those considering reselling. I’m sure this isn’t perfect logic, but it’s something to consider/discuss.
I loved the Balenciaga moto days. I only have a hip from them which I really love. I agree with this perspective. I genuinely loved the bag itself brand aside.
The past recent years I havent been a fan at all of Balenciaga's designs. They seem to have just been turned into a kind of fame wh*re brand in my eyes if that makes sense. So I kind of see the moto age as another brand.
I dont buy that no one in balenciaga house didnt know about this campaign or was on snooze.
 
I’m not really one to get involved in internet debates, but I thought I would share another perspective on the issue of what to do with your current Balenciaga pieces.

I’ll preface this with a little context. I have never followed Balenciaga and didn’t own anything until very recently. I don’t like the new designs at all but I have recently been more into vintage/secondhand bags and thought the moto bags were a cool vintage piece that held up well. Unfortunately for me, I just purchased one of these old style moto bags from eBay right before this ad scandal.

I find the ads as troubling as many people here have expressed, and I don’t see how this could possibly be excused as a mistake. I don’t really associate the old Balenciaga designs with the current brand, but it is personally difficult to separate it from this issue or at least not be reminded. I also personally think customers should be outraged not just by the indecency of these ads, but that this brand is taking advantage of customer support to fund this kind of messaging.

So, I have been concerned about what to do with the Balenciaga bag I now have. I initially thought, as some others have said, that I wouldn’t want to promote the brand by carrying anything from the label. I also do understand that others who have had those older styles for years would be able to separate them from the current state of the brand and this ad issue. For me, since I literally just got my bag right before this scandal, it feels like a pointed reminder. I was discussing this issue with my brother (who has never owned anything designer in his life and is very much outside of this), and he suggested that selling the bag on the resale market would actually hurt the brand today. His reasoning was that the resale market takes away from potential sales for the brand. If we buy/sell previous designs, we are keeping those dollars that the brand might otherwise get. Just a thought for those considering reselling. I’m sure this isn’t perfect logic, but it’s something to consider/discuss.
I still have my moto bag in my closet, even though it has been used so much that the leather is now paper thin...
I've thought about it too...Nicholas is a very different designer who designed classic and beautiful things with grace, the opposite of what the current designer offers. The Balenciaga back then was chic rock n roll. The logo was also different. I wouldn't use it today, but after this issue is resolved (current designer kicked out and logo changed back), I will be happily using mine again because of what the Balenciaga then represented - effortlessly cool.
 
Clients will either look away or continue to support the brand. Wearing vintage or current pieces
from the collection in the long run will not have a great impact on the brand, unfortunately
because there are people who simply may not be aware of what has occurred & continue to think
that Balenciaga is cool
It's unfortunate that this issue will quiet down & Balenciaga will go on..JMO
 
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