Balenciaga‘s holiday advertising has put them on the naughty list.
Twitter users criticized the Spanish luxury brand for using babies holding teddy bears dressed in bondage gear in its 2022 Christmas gifting marketing, calling it “very improper.”
The Gift Shop campaign, shot by renowned photographer Gabriele Galimberti, was meant to make a statement about giving and receiving gifts, drawing inspiration from the photographer’s own “toy narrative” photography series.
The campaign also included a studded dog bowl, branded glassware, and logo-heavy cushions in addition to the teddy bears in question, which made their debut at Balenciaga’s Spring 2023 runway show in Paris, where bruised and bloodied models carried the plush-toy-turned-handbags down the muddy catwalk.
“We sincerely apologize for any offence our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign.”
Balenciaga wrote in a statement posted via Instagram Story on Tuesday. “We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms,” the company added.
