Just a few weeks before the company got into trouble, Balenciaga’s CEO Demna bragged about the brand’s success and how he no longer felt the need to’make the industry understand him.
He has allegedly become “too big for his britches” and is to responsible for the problems that are now enveloping the design business and alarmed customers, according to sources in the fashion industry.
The 41-year-old Demna has not yet released a statement of his own but has shared Balenciaga’s comments on the controversies on social media.
The design business issued an apology for using children in a pornographic picture session with teddy bear bags a la bondage.
However, it argues that neither the backdrop of another photograph from a separate shot, nor the presence of a book by the artist Michael Borremans, whose work features images of nude, castrated babies, in further photos, are due to it.
The company argues that production giant North Six and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins are to blame for those two gaffes, and it has filed a summons notice indicating that it plans to sue North Six for $25 million.
According to a person familiar with the Manhattan picture session, no one from North Six was even there when the papers were inserted beneath a purse in the frame.
Balenciaga desired that it remain a closed set. Staff members from North Six were not present for the final setup of those document images, according to them.
In the end, just “two Balenciaga employees, the photographer, and a set assistant” were there.
It’s not unusual for firms to restrict the number of unnecessary employees who may attend photoshoots with well-known models.
Bella Hadid starred in this Balenciaga x Adidas advertisement, while Nicole Kidman was also featured in photos for the ready-to-wear line.
Balenciaga has stated that North Six is at blame in light of the issue surrounding the papers that were shown in the photo sessions.
I’ve discovered an uncontested position in my field where I can simply relax and pursue my passions without giving business, the media, or other people’s opinions any thought.
The placement of a book by artist Michael Borremans, whose earlier works include nude, castrated children, was also blamed by the company on the “set designer.”
Inquiries from DailyMail.com about who was and wasn’t on the set for the final images were not answered by Balenciaga.
In 2015, Demna succeeded Alexander Wang as the fashion house’s creative director. She is largely credited for increasing sales via lucrative collaborations with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Bella Hadid.
He stated: “I no longer worry about getting the fashion world to comprehend what I do, I simply do it,” in an interview with Intersections: The Art Basel podcast. “Popularity is always really risky… you can make anything and it may sell and that’s the scary part.”
East Londoner Chloe Hennessey, 27, damaged and disposed of about £2,300 worth of Balenciaga clothing in protest of the label’s contentious child-centered advertising campaigns.
He continued by describing how, after beginning his career as a “outsider,” he overcame that to become a favorite of “the fashion elite”; nevertheless, the fact that he relied on Balenciaga and them to succeed causes him difficulty.
“It’s a win that nowadays I have the fashion elite introduce themselves to me, come to my presentations, and finally consider me.” But because it only occurred after Balenciaga achieved success, it almost seems like a dull win. It nearly seems like someone arrived and assisted my victory. Although I find it annoying, I am also pleased with it.
“I no longer consider explaining what I do to the fashion business. Just me doing it. Whether or whether I’m proud of it no longer matters. There is no one I can persuade or explain things to. The only individuals I need to talk to are those who dress similarly to me and are familiar with my interests. and those who value it.
Since I began working in couture at Balenciaga, I’ve finally discovered a position in this profession that is uncontested, allowing me to simply relax out and pursue my passions without worrying about money, the media, or what other people may think.
Everything simply vanished.
Since the allegations broke out, Demna, who lives in Paris with his spouse, has not been seen in the media.
The upper layers of the art and fashion industries often attend Art Basel, which gets underway today in Miami. A sizable shop for Balenciaga has opened in the city’s design area.
Now, a lot of people claim that there is “no way” he isn’t ultimately responsible for the scandals that have shaken the fashion business.
“Oh, kindly. Demna never releases a picture that he hasn’t given his approval for.
Demna is not simply the campaign’s creative director; he also oversees all of the visuals.
Olga Liriano, an expert in the fashion world, told The New York Post that it was absurd to blame a production firm.
Demna, who now just goes by his first name at work, has grown too large for his pants, according to a second anonymous fashion source in Paris.
All of them [creative directors] believe they are infallible and can walk on water. Nobody makes fun of them. They are too terrified. Like many of them, he has grown too large for his pants. All of them [creative directors] believe they are invincible and can walk on water. Nobody makes fun of them.
“This man is now bringing the house down.” It was among the most gorgeous in the industry, but now Balenciaga is releasing leather garbage bags.
What has happened to this home, in my opinion, is disgraceful, the insider stated.
When the controversy broke, vogue photographer Misan Harriman was among the first to criticize the company.
As a fashion industry photographer who has collaborated with several labels, I am appalled.
“I am aware of the several processes a photographer must take to acquire the client’s approval for the photos. I am aware of how many adult eyes a picture needs before it can be printed, particularly when it is part of an online shopping promotion.
“This shooting is disgusting, and those youngsters and infants who weren’t shielded…so you could sell your goods?” The fashion industry has to take action in this regard.
“Something ought to be done about this,” said Kering, the owner, to CEO Francois Pinault. I don’t care if I never again shoot for anybody in this business because this is unacceptable.
We’re talking about children here. An Instagram apology is insufficient, he stated in a video posted on Twitter.
CEO Pinault and Kering have not commented on the situation.
Salma Hayek, his wife and a famous actress, has previously endorsed Balenciaga on Instagram.
She hasn’t yet made a remark.
‘Most of the time on shoots, we have the photographic crew, the make-up team, the styling team, and maybe three to five representatives of the brand,’ a different source in the fashion business told DailyMail.com.
It will include the editorial creative director for the company.
The Balenciaga photo crew members pushed for risqué and reasoned that a toddler and a teddy bear would complement the brand’s aesthetic.
Although stupid, it matches the brand.
“While they could wish to sue the creative team, I’m sure someone from their team was on the shoot and is answering questions,” I said.
Balenciaga’s Christmas advertising campaign, which included a series of photos with small kid models carrying teddy bear-shaped bags, presented the brand with its first issue.
The picture sessions were embellished with empty champagne and wine glasses and the bears were outfitted in BDSM attire.
Last week, the ad went online on the Balenciaga website, but it didn’t take long for shoppers to express their indignation, alleging that it sexually abused minors.
After a period of quiet, Balenciaga apologized and acknowledged that using children was a “mistake.”
Following the bears incident, another dubious picture from a separate photo session appeared.
The July photo session was to highlight the clothing and handbag designs from Balenciaga’s Spring ’23 collection.
An picture from the Adidas x Balenciaga collection included a printout of a Supreme Court decision on whether or not child pornography is considered to be free expression under the law (it does not).
The piece of paper was nestled between two handbags. After the bears scandal, it was picked up on by vigilant critics, and many of them concluded that it illustrated an unsettling tendency in the brand’s photo shoots.
Balenciaga insists that this is not the case and that set designer Nicholas Des Jardins and production firm North Six planned the Spring ’23 shot, which took place months before the bears shoot.
Additionally, the company denied that it had ever been influenced by Belgian artist Michael Borremans, whose book was seen in the background of another photo from the same photoshoot.
‘Michael Borremans, the artist, and/or his work have never served as an inspiration for Balenciaga or Demna.
According to Robin Meason, the global PR director for Balenciaga, “there are absolutely no connections between Balenciaga and Borremans.”
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