Kim Kardashian has issued a statement in the wake of a controversy involving fashion house Balenciaga, with which the company was linked to a fashion shoot featuring children with BDSM-themed items.
The reality star, 42, said while she was ‘shaken’ to see the images in the controversial ad campaign, she wanted to speak to the designer’s executives to understand how it happened.
‘I’ve been quiet the past few days, not because I haven’t been surprised and offended by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted the opportunity to talk to their team to see for myself how this came about. ‘ the Los Angeles-born celebrity said in a statement on her Instagram page.
THE LATEST: Kim Kardashian, 42, has issued a statement in the wake of a controversy involving fashion house Balenciaga, with which the company was linked to a fashion shoot featuring children with BDSM-themed items. Featured earlier this month in LA
She continued ‘As a mother of four, I am shaken by those disturbing images. The safety of children should be held with the highest regard and anything against it should have no place in our society.
Kardashian said she was comfortable with how the company responded to the scandal.
‘I appreciate the removal of the campaigns and the apology by Balenciaga. Having spoken with them, I am sure they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take necessary measures to ensure that this never happens again.
Kardashian’s statement came after the fashion house filed a pair of $25 million lawsuits against the makers in relation to an ad campaign that came out with children showing teddy bears in BDSM gear to promote their spring collection.
The Spanish fashion house is suing ad production company North Six Inc., as well as set designer Nicolas Des Jardins and his own brand, for including images of legal documents over the US Supreme Court ruling on child pornography laws in the same advertising campaign. Used to be.
Kim initially released a statement on her Instagram Stories account
Alleging that North Six and Des Jardins had intentionally included the judicial record in the ad without informing its executives, Balenciaga has described the move as ‘malicious, or at the very least, extraordinarily negligent’.
The high-end luxury brand added that it is now looking to redress defendants for extensive damages incurred in connection with the Balenciaga ad campaign, read a subpoena from Manhattan Supreme Court.
Clothing worn by children’s toys in the adverts includes fishnet stockings, chokers, string vests and chains, prompting social media to describe it as ‘child porn’ and ‘disturbing’.
Perhaps the most shocking image is that of a document from a previous ad, which was depicted near a child and hidden at the bottom of a purse, the 2008 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Williams examining whether child pornography The law against propaganda was violated. first Amendment.
Fashion brand Balenciaga is suing the makers of an ad campaign that many believe turned into child pornography, featuring a child dressed in a BDSM outfit holding a teddy bear.
North Six – a worldwide production company customizing commercials – is being sued in a $25 million lawsuit by Balenciaga along with model photographer Nicolas Des Jardins. Image: Company logo of North Six
One of the ad’s photos included an excerpt from a US Supreme Court opinion in the United States v. Williams case that upheld part of a federal child pornography law, which was confirmed by Twitter’s own fact-checkers
Balenciaga, which is popular among A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardashian – has removed two shocking images showing two young girls in bondage style gear holding a teddy bear on the gift shop section of its website.
The decision determined that an offer or request to transfer, sell, distribute, or trade child pornography did not violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, even if the person charged under the code did not actually possess child pornography. with whom business can be done.
The late Justice Antonin Scalia specifically noted that offers to engage in illegal transactions are expressly excluded from First Amendment protection.
Court documents show, “As a result of defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and slanderously associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and seriously disturbing subject of the court’s decision.”
‘Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all damages resulting from this false association.’
The ads were initially released at Paris Fashion Week in late September, early October and were intended to promote the fashion house’s spring 2023 collection.
As of last week, Balenciaga not only removed all posts related to ads for its Spring 2023 collection on Instagram, but also deleted its entire page
On Tuesday, Balenciaga publicly apologized and announced it would be swiping the ad from all of its social media profiles.
‘We sincerely apologize for any offense caused by our holiday campaign. Our plush beer bags should not have been shown in this campaign with children. We have removed the campaign from all platforms immediately,’ the high-end luxury house shared on Instagram.
DailyMail.com has contacted Balenciaga for comment on the lawsuit.
Balenciaga issued a public apology on his Instagram profile last week before deleting his social media history
Prior to the trial, the brand had previously stated that it would pursue legal action against those found responsible for the scandal surrounding the controversial ad.
Earlier this month, the Paris-based company said its controversial ad “iterates on the artist’s series Toy Stories, an exploration of what people collect and receive as gifts,” according to a press release.
It further said it would include ‘dozens of new products ranging from homeware, pet wear and scents to everyday items to limited-edition collectibles and bespoke furniture.’
Some of the photographs were taken by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti, perhaps best known for his work with National Geographic. On his Instagram page, Galimberti issued an apology, saying that he was not in creative control of the shoot and was only in charge of the lighting.
He said, ‘I am not in a position to comment [on] The choice of Balenciaga, but I must emphasize that I was in no way entitled to choose the products, nor the models, nor their combinations.’
Galimberti continued: ‘As a photographer, I was requested one and only to lit (sic) the given scene, and take shots according to my signature style.
‘As always, the direction of the campaign and shooting is not in the hands of the photographer.’
He concluded: ‘I suspect that anyone who is obsessed with pedophilia searches the web and unfortunately has much easier access to completely different images than mine, quite clear in their horrific content. Such lynching is addressed against the wrong targets, and diverts attention from the real problem and the perpetrators.’
Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti, who worked on the photoshoot featuring BDSM teddy bears, insisted that he was not entitled to choose ‘the products, nor the models, nor their combination in any way’.
Galimberti promoted the images as part of a project series titled ‘Toy Stories’ in an apparent reference to the Disney/Pixar film series.
Galimberti also said that he had nothing to do with the photographs of the Supreme Court documents.
Meanwhile, the father of a British child model who featured in the campaign defended the photoshoot, earlier telling dailymail.com that his daughter had a ‘fantastic time’ on set.
Balenciaga is usually associated with A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian, but in the fallout of this most recent scandal, model Bella Hadid deleted one Instagram post promoting the brand, but left several others who promote Balenciaga.
Balenciaga was founded in 1991 by the Spanish monarchist Cristobal Balenciaga. The brand’s current creative director is Georgia native Demna Gvasalia.
In 2001, a company with annual revenue of nearly two billion was acquired from Gucci by Kering.
