Balenciaga, creative director Demna and CEO Cédric Charbit respond to the allegations

There will be no lawsuit. “We are responsible for the lack of supervision and control of the documents part of the scenography and we could have done things differently,” Balenciaga had disclosed on Instagram when he broke his silence after the accusation against the offending campaigns. Today, however, it is Cédric Charbit himself who speaks: the CEO and President of the French fashion house has signed an official statement which makes public not only (again) the apology, but also all the next maneuvers with which Balenciaga will try to atone for the guilt.

Learning from mistakes is the number one goal of the company: «Our current content validation process has failed, we recognize the need to do better», reads the note. About that, Balenciaga has appointed an Image Board of internal experts with immediate effect who will evaluate the contents from the development phase to the finished product, with particular attention to legality, sustainability and diversity. Externally, the company will instead make use of the consultation of an agency that will evaluate the contents further.

Balenciaga also decided not to press charges. If the brand had moved legally, the lawsuit would have affected the third parties who provided the documents and props of the advertising campaign Balenciaga / adidasbut one problem would still remain: the bags Teddy bear in the shape of a teddy bear dressed in key fetish in the hands of the girls protagonists of the campaign Balenciaga Objects however, they are the responsibility of Balenciaga.

In this regard, the note released by the maison also focuses on learning, helping and contributing to organizations for the protection of children. «Together with my team – said Cédric Charbit, – I will participate in a listening tour to learn from organizations supporting child safeguarding». Economic support is also fundamental: “We have allocated significant funds to make a difference”, concluded the CEO, reiterating his most sincere apologies and taking all responsibility for what happened.

Balenciaga finally breaks his silence on the offending campaigns

While the stars distance themselves, the brand admits its guilt in failing to oversee the two controversial advertising campaigns. Aware of having “could have done things differently”

In addition to his apologies, those of creative director Demna are added, who over time has repeatedly made his vision bring the importance of human rights to the center of the debate. Provocative and disturbing, her stylistic code has often made use of the need to graft conflicting sensations to bring attention to the most current themes, as happened for the Fall-Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection which paraded in a snowstorm.

Not this time, though. «Although I am aware of how much I want to stimulate critical thinking through my work, it was never my intention to do this with child labor, a terrible subject which I condemn. Point”.