Kim Kardashian Officially Named As Balenciaga Brand Ambassador Following Backlash From Luxury Brand’s Controversial BDSM Campaign Involving Children

Kim Kardashian, Balenciaga

Kim Kardashian Officially Named As Balenciaga Brand Ambassador Following Backlash From Luxury Brand’s Controversial BDSM Campaign Involving Children

Kim Kardashian is now the new brand ambassador for luxury fashion house Balenciaga.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is taking her business relationship with Balenciaga up a notch by becoming the fashion company’s latest brand ambassador. While the SKIMS founder has sported the brand for some time now, the 43-year-old recently announced her official partnership with Balenciaga in a statement.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian spoke about the high fashion label and her latest deal with the company, saying,

“For several years now, Balenciaga’s designs have been a part of my many looks – and some of my most iconic fashion moments. This historic fashion house embraces modernity, craftsmanship and takes an innovative approach to design under Demna. For me, this long-standing relationship is built on mutual trust and a commitment to doing what’s right. I’m excited about this next chapter for the brand and to become their ambassador.”

As you may recall, in 2022, the design house sparked outrage after running a now-pulled advertisement showing kids holding teddy bears dressed in BDSM bondage. In addition to that, the controversial campaign appeared to feature legal documents from a Supreme Court case regarding child pornography laws.

Soon after the controversial ad premiered, Kim took to her Instagram to express concern about the photoshoot. She previously wrote,

“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society – period.”

Kim Kardashian

The “Kardashians” star then added,

“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again.”

However, in a follow-up post, Kim noted that she’s reevaluating her long-standing relationship with the luxury brand based off,

“their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with – and the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children.”

Following the uproar surrounding the campaign, Balenciaga released a statement alleging that the images posted under its name were not authorized by the corporation. Balenciaga reportedly filed a $25 million lawsuit against the production company behind the inappropriate graphics.

While addressing the concerning advertisement, Balenciaga shared in a statement,

“The first campaign, the gift collection campaign, featured children with plush bear bags dressed in what some have labelled BDSM-inspired outfits. Our plush bear bags and the gift collection should not have been featured with children. This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images. The responsibility for this lies with Balenciaga alone.”

They concluded,

“The second, separate campaign for spring 2023, which was meant to replicate a business office environment, included a photo with a page in the background from a supreme court ruling ‘united states v. Williams’ 2008 which confirms as illegal and not protected by freedom of speech the promotion of child pornography. All the items included in this shooting were provided by third parties that confirmed in writing that these props were fake office documents. They turned out to be real legal papers most likely coming from the filming of a television drama. The inclusion of these unapproved documents was the result of reckless negligence for which Balenciaga has filed a complaint. We take full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background and we could have done things differently.”

What are your thoughts on Kim Kardashian becoming an official brand ambassador for Balenciaga? Let us know below! 

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