Known as the world’s most avant-garde fashion house, Balenciaga instead found itself entangled in one of its most compromising moments: at the centre of a global storm, not for innovation, but for indecency.
Known as the world’s most avant-garde fashion house, Balenciaga instead found itself entangled in one of its most compromising moments: at the centre of a global storm, not for innovation, but for indecency.
November 16, 2022
Known as the world’s most avant-garde fashion house, Balenciaga instead found itself entangled in one of its most compromising moments: at the centre of a global storm, not for innovation, but for indecency.
On 16 November 2022, Balenciaga unveiled its “Gift Shop” campaign. The concept, as the brand described, was to capture “a raw, punk spirit of childhood.” What emerged instead was a scandal: children appeared with teddy bears dressed in bondage gear, surrounded by adult symbols - cluttered rooms, a faint air of decadence.
The outrage was instant. Within hours, social media condemned the images as disturbing and exploitative. Hashtags calling to #CancelBalenciaga spread like wildfire. Critics accused the brand of sexualising children and blurring moral boundaries in the name of fashion.
As if that were not enough, a separate Balenciaga ad added fuel to the fire. In the separate Garde-Robe campaign, a handbag, casually placed atop a Supreme Court document referencing child pornography laws, was spotted - an almost surreal coincidence that shattered public trust.
Balenciaga pulled the ads from its website and said its plush bear bags "should not have been featured with children".” Creative director Demna Gvasalia admitted: “I didn’t realise how inappropriate it was to include those objects with a child in the shot. It was a wrong idea and a bad decision.” “He later clarified that the Spring 2023 props — a Michaël Borremans book and a U.S. court ruling on child pornography — were an unfortunate coincidence that surprised the team.”
In the aftermath, Balenciaga announced internal reforms, introducing “new control instances” and revising organizational practices, including restructuring its image department to “guarantee complete adherence to corporate guidelines.” But the damage was done: celebrities distanced themselves, supporters turned their backs, and Balenciaga’s daring edge suddenly appeared reckless.
In Europe, where provocative art and fashion have long coexisted with public morality, the Balenciaga affair drew a sharp line: between provocation and perversion, between artistic shock and ethical blindness. It highlighted how quickly public trust can erode when brands misjudge the limits of taste, and how viral outrage can amplify even a single lapse in judgment.
Three years on, the scandal lingers as a cautionary tale: even the boldest fashion houses must remember a simple truth - some boundaries are never meant to be styled.
