Last week, Balenciaga's scandal due to its child ad pictures was all over my timeline. 

But I barely saw any coverage on mainstream media about the BDSM-inspired harnesses that were worn by kids holding teddy bears in the creepy ad campaign by Balenciaga.

So I made the decision to research the online forums:

The image with children came from the Paris Fashion Week in regards to the company’s spring/summer 2023 collection.

In this campaign, various children—both boys and girls—appear posing with teddy bears embellished with chains and harnesses, common items in sadomasoquist practices 

(the main controversy for which the brand has pulled the campaign).

there had already been a reference to pedophilia 

in a previous Balenciaga x Adidas campaign. 

Thanks to IG user @shoe0nhead, it was possible to see some documents that detailed the failure of a federal law banning child pornography in one of the images of the ad collection from both brands. 

This photo also went viral on social media and forced the company to terminate the campaign.

The company has removed the photos and, via Instagram's "stories" feature, has released a statement saying they will take legal action against the parties in charge of the set's creation.

, Balenciaga has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the creators of the contentious ad campaign.

the use of legal documents from a US Supreme Court decision on child porn laws in one of the advertisements

, the fashion house filed a lawsuit on Friday against production company North Six, Inc. and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins and his own company.

Even Kim Kardashian, arguably the Spanish brand's most well-known face, was coerced into 

. 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.

Does Balenciaga not run Balenciaga's ads?

What I saw online is that many in the industry feel that during photo shoots, everyone and everything is thought of and there is never a random object, prop or position. 

Additionally, since there were many people involved in this campaign, it wasn't the result of a single mistake. 

Instead, the firm's announcement that it would pursue legal action against the set's owners was an attempt to wash its hands of the situation. 

I understand it as: Better to publish something, however grandiose, if it can cause outrage. 

In this way, people see the brand, and will eventually forget the outrage. 

Sure, they will see a drop in sales for a few days, but they will ultimately gain more in the long term. They are aware of what they are doing and know it will be offensive, but they use this technique to show up in every single editorial and media outlet. After that, they remove the advertisement, offer apologizes, and stop selling.

The only thing that bothers me is that it's not really showing up in the mainstream media. 

Following their apologies, some are questioning one of the brand's designer, Lotta Volkova, and are looking into her past. 

, "Who is REALly behind the #Balenciaga advertising, according to one thread: Lotta Volkova, The Devil In Disguise 

1. Since 2014, she has been a key stylist at Balenciaga. 

2. She is dating a man who is allegedly a pedophile. 

3. We must also boycott the individuals responsible for #Balenciaga." 

 in Novosibirsk, Russia, when the nation was still a part of the Soviet Union, Lotta Volkova's designs frequently feature elements from that time period.

She was introduced to other cultures at a young age since her father, a naval captain, would bring her gifts from all over the world. At the age of 17, Volvoka moved away from her village to attend Central Saint Martins in London to study art and design.

The Balenciaga controversy, which stunned millions of people, has made people pay attention to her social media activities.

Her career was launched in 2004 when she founded Lotta Skeletri, a clothing brand with post-punk influences. After working with Rei Kawakubo, a Japanese fashion designer, Volvoka decided to concentrate on styling in 2007. After fast advancing in her profession, she now plays a crucial role in creating the creative vision for brands like Balenciaga, Vetements, Gosha Rubchinskiy, and Sies Marjan.

I don't think it's crazy that people went into crazy rabbit holes looking for evidence of a huge conspiracy. But at the end of the day, I don't think pedophile rings are being coordinated in the fashion industry. 

As I said before, the brand is known for pushing the limits in the name of marketing. 

Remember these shoes? They made headlines everywhere because they cost thousands of dollars:

Balenciaga's ad scandal & disturbing child photoshoot images explained:

0 Comments