The luxury fashion label Balenciaga has launched a partnership with a children’s advocacy group in response to criticism over commercials that have been linked to child abuse and child pornography.
Balenciaga and the Kering Foundation established a three-year relationship with the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, on Wednesday.
Supporting National Children Alliance Mental Health Institute’s efforts to help children heal from trauma by facilitating a significant increase in access to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Training (TF-CBT), educating Balenciaga about child protection and actions adults can take to promote the safety and well-being of children, and raising public awareness on child abuse and child protection and promoting a happy, healthy world for children.
According to the partnership’s press release, Balenciaga’s funding will enable the NCA to train over 2,000 child abuse professionals and might benefit about 55,000 youngsters seeking mental healthcare.
Photos of youngsters holding bears that appeared to be wearing BDSM-style harnesses outraged Balenciaga.
Jam Press/Balenciaga
“During our listening tour, where we engaged with several leading organizations and experts in the field of childhood trauma, we were confronted with the reality and magnitude of childhood trauma,” Balenciaga President and Chief Executive Officer Cédric Charbit said in a statement.
He stated that Balenciaga has learned from the experience and reaffirmed the company’s dedication to having a positive and lasting impact on children and their future.
The NCA is the national association and accrediting authority for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) and annually assists 386,000 children across the United States.
The NCA established the Mental Health Institute in 2022 to expand children’s access to “evidence-based, trauma-focused mental health treatment.”
The announcement comes after Balenciaga issued apologies for two parallel issues involving advertising imagery.
In a commercial for the bag collaRedirects boration between Balenciaga and Adidas, the product was displayed atop a desk piled in papers. One of the documents featured the Supreme Court case United States v. Williams, which centered on the distribution of child pornographic material.
“We apologize for displaying disturbing documents in our campaign,” stated an Instagram brand statement. “We are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot,” the statement reads. We strongly condemn all forms of child abuse. We advocate for the safety and well-being of children.”
Balenciaga also issued an apology for a different advertising campaign that featured photographs of kid models carrying teddy bears clad in bondage attire.
»Balenciaga joins children’s advocacy group after BDSM teddy bear incident«