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

[Swanky]

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.

 

[maxxout]

^^^
Yes. ART and the art market are two entirely different things. Usually they are polar opposites.

They work pretty well together, as artist do need to be supported. It’s always a struggle for artist to keep things clean of the marketplace when creating, but then, when it does enter the marketplace to let it go.

 

[trippinonsunshine]

BALENCIAGA TAKES THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS WITH THE OBJECTIVE TO LEARN
FROM OUR MISTAKES AS AN ORGANIZATION.
NEW CONTROL INSTANCES:
OUR CURRENT PROCESS FOR CONTENT VALIDATION HAS FAILED, AND WE
RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO DO BETTER
ON THE INTERNAL SIDE, WE NOMINATE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AN IM-
AGE BOARD RESPONSIBLE FOR EVALUATING THE NATURE OF OUR CONTENT
FROM CONCEPT TO FINAL ASSETS, INCLUDING LEGAL, SUSTAINABILITY AND
DIVERSITY EXPERTISE
ON THE EXTERNAL SIDE, WE HAVE APPOINTED A BEST-IN-CLASS AGENCY
TO ASSESS AND EVALUATE OUR CONTENT
ORGANIZATION:
WE HAVE REORGANIZED OUR IMAGE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE FULL ALIGN-
MENT WITH OUR CORPORATE GUIDELINES
LAWSUIT:
BALENCIAGA HAS DECIDED NOT TO PURSUE LITIGATION
LEARN AND CONTRIBUTE:
WE WANT TO LEARN, HELP AND CONTRIBUTE TO PROTECT CHILDREN
WE ARE STARTING TRAININGS ON RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION ACROSS
OUR TEAMS
TOGETHER WITH MY TEAM, WE WILL GO ON "LISTENING TOUR" TO ENGAGE
WITH ADVOCACY GROUPS WHO AIM TO PROTECT CHILDREN
DONATION:
WE HAVE SET ASIDE A SIGNIFICANT FUND FOR GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS
SO THAT WE CAN HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PROTECTING CHILDREN
I WANT TO PERSONALLY REITERATE MY SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR THE OFFENSE
CAUSED AND TAKE MY RESPONSIBILITY.
AT BALENCIAGA, WE STAND TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN SAFETY AND DO NOT
TOLERATE ANY KIND OF VIOLENCE AND HATRED MESSAGE.
CÉDRIC CHARBIT
PRESIDENT AND CEO

What a load of crap! You need to appoint an "image board" to know right from wrong when using children in campaigns? No you need an image board to assess legal ramifications --disgusting. You drop the lawsuit not to assume full responsibility and screen every individual internally responsible for allowing this to be approved/released. You again reiterate appointing a "best in class agency to evaluate content" -- what is wrong with you people? If you took accountability and heads rolled over there who were responsible and a clear public message was sent that would be a start. You retain the designer !!!!!

Typical corporate PR statement. Assign a board, coordinate trainings, throw pretend money that you receive tax incentive at the issue and my personal favorite --go on a listening tour... I hope you get an earful of insight. BTW- lose the caps..

Set aside significant fund for grants ? How much?
At Balenciaga we stand together for children safety and do not tolerate any kind of violence or hatred message.... Obtuse!

Every time they open their mouths, I get more angry.

 

[trippinonsunshine]

Personal Message
I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic
choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids
and I take my responsibility. It was inappropriate to have
kids promote objects that had nothing to do with them.
As much as I would sometimes like to provoke a thought
through my work, I would NEVER have an intention to
do that with such an awful subject as child abuse that
I condemn. Period.
I need to learn from this, listen and engage with child
protection organizations to know how I can contribute
and help on this terrible subject.
I apologize to anyone offended by the visuals and
Balenciaga has guaranteed that adequate mea-
sures will be taken not only to avoid similar mis.
takes in the future but also to take accountability in
protecting child welfare in every way we can.
Sincerely
Demna

The wrong artistic choice for the gifting campaign with kids and I take my responsibility ---- HOW?
It is inappropriate to have kids promote objects that have nothing to do with them? REALLY? That is what you take away from this? No wonder Balenciaga indicates they are instituting all the hand holding going forward. So why did you create a campaign and have kids promote objects that have nothing to do with them? Explain that please!! Discuss what creative process got you in this situation. I would love to understand and not speculate instead of You and B. talking in circles with corporate speak. What was this campaign supposed to represent? Why?

 

[dangerouscurves]

I don't buy his apology. His stylist, Lotta, has disturbing 'arts' that include violence towards children. There's a painting of a disembowel boy in her Instagram feed. Remember those dirty sneakers Balenciaga tried to sell? I watch a video on YouTube saying this shoes were supposedly the murdered children shoes. Why do they even have names for those shoes, such as 'Maria's destroyed shoes'? This is sick. The interpol needs to investigate thiis.

 

[Noorasi]

I have acquaintances and friends that work in higher positions with the house; I've spoken with them to get clarification on this situation. The attempt to generate controversy is NOT true. This was a holiday/gifts campaign, which was to appeal to a very broad audience, so there was no attempt to generate (this type) controversy which would likely alienate people.

To reiterate, none of this was deliberate in generating controversy. The attempts Balenciaga makes to generate controversy are usually done with frivolity like the trash bags. That's the type of controversy Balenciaga likes to garner, to agitate and subvert the average person's sense of good taste regarding design and fashion. Not speak to abuse, p*rn, racism, or to offend any marginalized group.

Regarding the holiday campaign, the bears are 'mascota' bags that were adorned with punk, goth, or emo style clothing and accessories which is a sub-culture and aesthetic Demna has explored constantly throughout his collections. In fact, the photographer said Balenciaga told him the theme was "punk". The intent was Gabriele's style of photography art, combined a punk sensibility, to advertise the series of Balenciaga products that would be good gifts: candle holders, ornaments, apparel/shoes.

Yes, the idea was misguided and reads offensive when you consider what people outside your circle will think. However, the series of people who approved this have the same groupthink. They all are familiar with Demna's ideas (which is punk) so they would approve this. When you are only thinking of punk, Demna's style, and that's all you think of after working with him for half a decade, for some, you might not think of anything else. They did not consider external associations or undertones like BDSM, bondage, or abuse with the bear bags. And Balenciaga has taken accountability for that per their statement.

I'm sorry but this all sounds very delusional considering we know Lotta Volkova has worked loads with Balenciaga (brand consulting etc.) and is a friend of Demna's, they've been working together since 2015. Lotta is the one who's Instagram is full of child gore and all sorts of disturbing material involving children and blood. She's also posted teddy bears in bondage gear. The W Magazine wrote in 2016 that Lotta was "one of the key players who helped shape Demna Gvasalia’s underground-cool label".

As mentioned in this thread earlier, Demna himself wrote on Instagram back in 2016 that “Someone wrote that Lotta, Gosha, and I grew up on child pornography and radiation from Chernobyl, which is why we’re so f*cked up." The other friend he mentions is Gosha Rubchinskiy, the designer who previously had a bit of a scandal because he was caught asking nudes from a 16-year-old male model.

To be clear, as far as I know Lotta Volkova was not working on these Balenciaga campaigns and has not worked with Balenciaga recently, but the influences look eerily similar. In any case, claiming all of this is just Demna being purely punk is utterly ridiculous.

 

[RitaLA]

There are SO many red flags in their fake apology that I don't even know where to start. When it is said,
"I WANT TO PERSONALLY REITERATE MY SINCERE APOLOGIES FOR THE OFFENSE
CAUSED AND TAKE MY RESPONSIBILITY."
So this person wants to apologize for the offense caused. Okay ... you are basically saying that this didn't offend you. It offended some of us. So you are throwing the responsibility on us because we felt offended by your "art." That person doesn't see anything wrong in the pictures they provided??? You are still not taking any responsibility. If you can't see how deeply pathological this is, then you need help.

 

[Jaxholt15]

It’s clear they went in a direction that they now regret. I really doubt that Balenciaga as a whole condones child abuse. What can they do but apologize?

 

[RitaLA]

I am just talking out loud here ... I don't own any Balenciaga bags because I never fell in love with any of their designs. But I am trying to focus on Kering as a company because I do own Gucci and YSL bags. I personally do not want to own bags that belong to a company that is not bothered by one of their brands sexualizing children. I do not want to align with them. I reject their message and I reject their products. The owner of Kering, also owns an auction website that sells child sex mannequins with genitalia on their faces. You can research online and that information is out there for anyone to see. Let's think systemically again. If the CEO of Kering, own an action website that sells child mannequins with genitalia on their faces, you don't think that mindset will not affect the direction of the brands under him? It's a loop .. it goes around and around and around.

 

[trippinonsunshine]

It’s clear they went in a direction that they now regret. I really doubt that Balenciaga as a whole condones child abuse. What can they do but apologize?

Explain themselves - that is what I'd like to see. What was the thinking behind this campaign or both campaigns for that matter. Hubris!

 

[RitaLA]

Explain themselves - that is what I'd like to see. What was the thinking behind this campaign or both campaigns for that matter. Hubris!

Exactly! They just keep saying that we got offended. Yeah, we did. Didn't they? Now, they need to put protocols in place to avoid these situations. Protocol??? This should be common sense. You need to hire boards and other decision-makers when you (meaning the brand) are unable to do that yourself. So they need a group of people with some kind of moral and ethical "special" compass to vet things. That means that Kering has none. The statement they released actually makes things worse for them

 

[jellyv]

Crisis management starts with communication. If the apology and words about it thus far have failed for some of you, what apology wouldn't have failed? Language to the effect of taking responsibility, mentioning the problems, and stating steps to fix it going forward apparently isn't enough: you got better words? What might they be? Care to offer a draft? (Spoiler: there are no apologies some here will offer as acceptable. We know this.)

Again, this is the stage of public contrition. Not the actions succeeding it.

 

[Shelby33]

I'm sure there's info that has been put out there that I haven't heard about yet, but I hopped on fashionphile yesterday because I was curious about their pricing. I didn't see any drastic drops in their pricing. I haven't seen companies say they're ending their relationship with Balenciaga.
It's not the first controversy a fashion house has had and it won't be the last. But I can't help roll my eyes at this.
considering this was a ad campaign vs how many companies that violate labor/human rights and no one bats an eye because the items are affordable. Like, really? People don't seem to mind the kid in underdeveloped country working all day, not going to school for a small amount of money because those sneakers and fast fashion, cell phone items are so cool? OK then...

I know this is incredibly cynical POV, but ultimately I think it'll pass.

I don't think this is true though-I have seen many many posts from members here very concerned about child labor. We are a small fraction of the public, honestly I don't think most people research where or how their bag was made. A lot of people care about and are against child labor, maybe it doesn't occur to them to look at the label in their bags.
Normalizing sexual abuse-especially of children-is an entirely different subject. Using those photos were on purpose to get a reaction and they got one.

 

[Shelby33]

Crisis management starts with communication. If the apology and words about it thus far have failed for some of you, what apology wouldn't have failed? Language to the effect of taking responsibility, mentioning the problems, and stating steps to fix it going forward apparently isn't enough: you got better words? What might they be? Care to offer a draft? (Spoiler: there are no apologies some here will offer as acceptable. We know this.)

Again, this is the stage of public contrition. Not the actions succeeding it.

Maybe "We fu*ked up, (a WHOLE BUNCH OF US) and will cut ties with anyone who approved these entirely inappropriate photos to be used in our stupid gift shop promotion"
I'd have more respect for that then the crap they are handing us.

 

[jellyv]

Maybe "We fu*ked up, (a WHOLE BUNCH OF US) and will cut ties with anyone who approved these entirely inappropriate photos to be used in our stupid gift shop promotion"
I'd have more respect for that then the crap they are handing us.

So you think they could announce specific, confidential staff firing decisions in a mea culpa PR memo, without following due process...

 

[ccbaggirl89]

I am just talking out loud here ... I don't own any Balenciaga bags because I never fell in love with any of their designs. But I am trying to focus on Kering as a company because I do own Gucci and YSL bags. I personally do not want to own bags that belong to a company that is not bothered by one of their brands sexualizing children. I do not want to align with them. I reject their message and I reject their products. The owner of Kering, also owns an auction website that sells child sex mannequins with genitalia on their faces. You can research online and that information is out there for anyone to see. Let's think systemically again. If the CEO of Kering, own an action website that sells child mannequins with genitalia on their faces, you don't think that mindset will not affect the direction of the brands under him? It's a loop .. it goes around and around and around.

I own Bal, Gucci and YSL and I happen to really like Gucci. Even if I stay away from Bal bags in the future I'm sure that money from the other brands would go towards helping Bal if they happen to falter in sales as a result of this botched campaign. I imagine that supporting the other brands indirectly still supports Bal so I won't be purchasing from Kering group again.