The Spanish luxury streetwear brand Balenciaga is in knee-deep trouble. The brand has had a controversial past. Kanye West, who is now ousted by the fashion industry due to his anti-Semitism, was their long time collaborator. The brand has been accused of plagiarism, its eclectic products and eccentric campaigns. Recently, it received a heavy backlash for its Spring 2023 collection. In the photo shoot, they recruited small kids holding stuffed toys, which had BDSM and S&M strapped attire.
The parents and other netizens, including political figures, called out the brand. The brand apologized for the campaign including small kids. But, netizens observed another detail in their Adidas X Balenciaga hourglass bag. The shoot had scattered papers. One of the papers included federal court papers related to a child pornography case.
Also Read: Why People Are Furious Over New Balenciaga Campaign?
Balenciaga Is Accusing North Six Inc. And Nicholas Des For The Campaign
The brand has dragged the photography and production company North Six Inc. and the production designer Nicholas Des. Balenciaga has filed a $25 million case against these two entities. The case filed at Manhattan Supreme Court is “to seek redress for extensive damages defendants caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce”.
The campaign came to the notice of the netizens when an all-moms group Mumsnet user posted about the campaign. There were two pictures making rounds where one girl was holding a white bear strapped with a fishnet vest and a choker on its neck. Another girl was holding purple koala-like creatures donned BDSM attire.
After these pictures, netizens with their sharp eyes pointed at another controversial campaign of the hourglass bag. The papers belonged to the federal case United States Vs. Williams, which upheld a portion of a federal child pornography law.
As per the brand, they were not aware that North Six and Des included those papers as props. The behavior was “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless”. Balenciaga thinks that due to their slip, the brand is getting “falsely and horrifically” associated with the case.
The retrieved court papers said, “As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and horrifically associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision. Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association.”
The Brand Did Not Include The Photographer In Their Lawsuit
After the heavy backlash, the company was compelled to remove the campaign photographs and released an apology. In their apology, it said, “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms”.
The brand ensured that the people behind the shoot will face a lawsuit but they kept Gabriele Galimberti, the creative photographer, out of it. A spokesperson of the company said, “Balenciaga is not taking any legal action towards Gabriele Galimberti, the photographer of the Holiday campaign, that includes a child holding a teddy bear bag.”
The person continued, “Gabriele Galimberti was not involved in any way with the Spring 23 campaign involving unsettling documents in an office.” However, the brand will be “taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the Spring 23 set and including unapproved items for that campaign photoshoot.”
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