Kim Kardashian has been blasted by fans after revealing she has become an ambassador for Balenciaga, one year after the brand faced controversy for an advert featuring children and BDSM items.
The reality TV star, 43, announced her partnership with the label, helmed by creative director Demna Gvasalia, on Monday.
The mother-of-four previously refused to cut ties with the fashion house but said she was ‘shaken and disgusted’ by the images which sparked a backlash against the brand.
After announcing her new partnership many fans were left disappointed by the decision and hit back at her statement, in which she wrote that her relationship with the brand was built on a ‘commitment to doing what’s right.’
‘Of all the brands, she had to choose the one with child abuse allegations. Not even surprised though…’ one person wrote, while another branded her a ‘hypocrite’ adding, ‘Money is all that matters to her.’
Kim Kardashian, 43, has been blasted by fans for becoming an ambassador for Balenciaga, one year after the brand faced controversy for an ad featuring children and BDSM items
Another person accused Kim of throwing her ‘morals out of the window’ for money, while someone else added, ‘Anything for money and a higher net worth I guess.’
‘Where’s she gonna keep all the money and fame when she’s gone?’
‘So we forgot about the kid bondage thing? lol’ one commentator inquired.
‘But Kim this company does everything BUT what’s right,’ another added in reference to her statement.
The comments continued to roll in, with another one asking: ‘So Kim just forgetting what Balenciaga advertised with the children?? K.’
‘Has she learned nothing?’ someone else asked.
‘Even after the scandal?’ another Twitter user asked.
One comment simply read: ‘Girl…. Embarrassing.’
Others called the SKIMS founder out for hypocritical behavior: ‘So basically she said f**k Balenciaga when they were getting backlash but now that its safe for her brand she’s back??’
Many others hit out against the brand, calling it ‘trash’ and ‘canceled.’
‘Money is all that matters to her,’ one commentator hit out at Kim
‘Of all the brands, she had to choose the one with child abuse allegations. Not even surprised though…’ someone else wrote
‘So we forgot about the kid bondage thing? lol’ one commentator inquired
‘But Kim this company does everything BUT what’s right,’ another added in reference to her statement
‘Has she learned nothing?’ one person asked
Another person accused the mother-of-four of throwing her ‘morals out of the window’ for money
‘Anything for money and a higher net worth I guess’
A number of comments suggested Kim only took the deal for money
Kim continued to get backlash in the comments
‘Even after the scandal?’ one Twitter user asked
One comment simply read: ‘Girl…. Embarrassing’
Others called the SKIMS founder out for hypocritical behavior
Many commentators hit out against the brand
Kim’s full statement about becoming an ambassador for the brand read: ‘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.’
Kardashian has previously starred in Balenciaga campaigns, walked in their show and accompanied Demna to the 2021 Met Gala.
Back in November 2022, the fashion house came under fierce fire after it released an ad that showed kids posing alongside various BDSM-themed items.
Kim initially faced backlash for refusing to cut ties with the brand and praising the way it handled the scandal, despite her claiming to be ‘shaken’ and ‘disgusted’ by the images.
Since then, she has made her loyalty clear by participating in an ad for Balenciaga’s upcoming Summer 2024 collection.
Clearly embarrassed by their ill-judged campaign, Balenciaga took the drastic step of wiping its social media pages clean.
The reality star, who previously refused to cut ties with the brand but said she was ‘shaken and disgusted’ by the advert, posted a statement announcing her partnership with the label under its creative director Demna Gvasalia
Kardashian has previously starred in Balenciaga campaigns, walked in their show and accompanied Demna to the 2021 Met Gala
Kardashian is often seen wearing Balenciaga to major events and has featured in several of the brand’s campaigns in the past such as Paris Fashion Week
‘I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been shocked 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,’ the Los Angeles-born celebrity said in a statement on her Instagram page at the time.
She continued: ‘As a mother of four, I have been shaken by those disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and anything against it should have no place in our society – period.’
She subsequently reissued the statement that saw some of the wording changed using stronger language adding: ‘any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society – period.’
However, on balance, Kardashian said that she is comfortable with how the company reacted to the scandal.
‘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.’
In an additional post, to both Instagram and Twitter, Kardashian said she was reconsidering her relationship with the fashion brand but had not yet many any firm decisions.
‘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 was famously introduced to Balenciaga Creative Director Demna by her ex, Kanye West with the couple’s daughters also sporting the brand, too, having recently been spotted carrying four-figure bags from the brand.
Kim initially issued a statement on her Instagram Stories account in November 2022
In an additional post, this time to both Twitter and Instagram, Kardashian said she was reconsidering her relationship with the fashion brand
She acknowledged the role her ex-husband had played in the relationship in December 2021 as she spoke at the People’s Choice Awards where she accepted an award for fashion.
‘To Kanye, for really introducing me to the fashion world,’ she said. ‘I fell in love with fashion and I’m so inspired by so many people. But again, this is like a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things and take a risk. I’m so humbled.’
At the time, Vogue described it as ‘the peak of Kardashian’s Balenciaga moment.’
Balenciaga is owned by Kering; the corporation also owns Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent and Creed.
Balenciaga publicly apologized and announced that it will be swiping off the ad from all of its social media profiles.
‘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 high-end luxury house shared on Instagram.
THE BALENCIAGA SCANDAL: BONDAGE BEARS, CHILD PORN DOCS AND AN ARTIST KNOWN FOR DEPICTING NAKED KIDS
The Bondage Bears Christmas campaign
The scandal erupted when Balenciaga released its 2022 Holiday ad campaign that featured children posing with its Plush Toy Bag. The bags look like teddy bears and are dressed in BDSM gear.
In the photo shoot, the kids also appeared surrounded by empty wine and champagne glasses.
The distinctly adult themes immediately troubled many who asked why children had ever been used.
Balenciaga ignored the scandal at first and seemingly allowed the photographer who was involved, Gabriele Galimberti, to take the heat.
He released a statement saying he had no control over the content of the shoot and eventually, Balenciaga released its own statement agreeing with him and taking responsibility for the campaign.
It has now been pulled from the internet.
The hidden child porn documents
After the BDSM bears fiasco, eagle-eyed critics started examining the rest of Balenciaga’s campaigns closely.
They soon discovered that in the background of an image from the Spring ’23 campaign was a printout of a Supreme Court ruling on whether or not internet child porn can be legally considered free speech.
On the back of the bears scandal, many critics said it pointed to a troubling pattern within Balenciaga.
Balenciaga was quick to blame North Six, a production company that helped arrange the shoot, for the inclusion of those documents.
They claimed that they entrusted all of the props from the photoshoot to North Six, and that their team was assured everything that was included was fake.
The troubling book of artist whose work depicts naked, castrated toddlers
Balenciaga is yet to answer for the inclusion of a book by Michael Borremans in the background of two of the images from the Spring ’23 campaign.
Borremans is a Belgian painter whose work includes a troubling 2017 series called Fire From The Sun.
It depicts naked toddlers – some of them castrated – playing in a group and at times alone.
Lawyers for the brand are yet to address DailyMail.com’s questions about how the book ended up on the photoshoot.
In this image from Balenciaga’s scrapped Spring ’23 campaign, Isabelle Huppert sits in front of a stack of books including one that celebrates Michael Borremans, a Belgian painter whose work is known to include depictions of castrated toddlers
Borremans’ other work includes his 2017 series Fire From The Sun, which features castrated toddlers and babies holding what look like severed limbs, while playing together nude in a large group
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