Kim Kardashian is “re-evaluating” her partnership with Balenciaga after the fashion house received criticism for creating an advertisement portraying kids holding teddy bears wearing BDSM-style harnesses.
After being silent on the issue for several days, the celebrity finally spoke out on it in a statement sent to Twitter on Sunday night.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened,” Kardashian wrote in an explanation.
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” she added. “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.”
In response to mounting criticism, Balenciaga pulled the problematic campaign on Tuesday and issued an apology for the bad news bears. The campaign also featured a printed copy of a US Supreme Court ruling on child porn laws in the background of one image.
Balenciaga’s spring 2023 collection, which made its premiere this fall at Paris Fashion Week, was accompanied by commercials.
“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology,” Kardashian tweeted. “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.”
“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children,” she wrote.
The reality actress and founder of Skims has a lengthy connection with Balenciaga; she appeared in its winter 2022 ad and walked in its July Paris couture fashion show, among other things.
Kardashian, 42, released a second statement confirming that history and working connection almost an hour after the first one.
