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Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna, has given his first interview since the brand’s BDSM ad scandal last year.
The fashion house came under fire at the end of 2022 for two different campaigns, one of which featured children holding teddy bears that were outfitted in bondage-style leather outfits.
While backlash — from fans and celebrities alike — was swift, the company addressed the controversy and apologized for the nature of the shoot. Demna also released a statement at the time, calling the ads “inappropriate.”
Now, the Georgian fashion designer is planning to take a break from ruffling feathers and shift his focus to designing clothes.
“I realise that my work has been seen as provocative, but this specific situation would never be part of my, you know, provocative nature,” Demna told Vogue.
“Balenciaga is a house that is over one century old and is based on strong and beautiful creative values, and I have been busy doing all in my creative power to bring it to its modern relevance, and suddenly we were under attack and labelled as something we’re not at all.”
Demna said that he was “shocked” and “completely stunned” to learn about the court document props seen in the background of another Balenciaga ad, printed with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of United States v. Williams — which confirmed that First Amendment rights did not include the promotion of child pornography.
He called the presence of these documents in two separate photoshoots that were filmed in different locations months apart a total “coincidence,” but vowed to be more involved in every detail of his brand’s campaign ideation and have others oversee the details more stringently.
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The company has dropped the $25 million lawsuit it previously lodged against the photoshoot’s producers.
“From my personal point of view, as creative director, I will have to question absolutely everything now. It really changes my way of working, which has previously been more instinctive; doing something that would be seen as maybe provocative just because I was thinking, ‘Oh, that’s fun,’” Demna said.
“This is part of my learning: I will have a more mature and serious approach to everything I release as an idea or an image. I have decided to go back to my roots in fashion as well as to the roots of Balenciaga, which is making quality clothes – not making image or buzz.”
That may mean a departure from dressing celebrities, with Kim Kardashian having spoken out about the controversy and turned down a campaign with Balenciaga after starring in past ads for the fashion house.
Neither Nicole Kidman now Bella Hadid, both of whom starred in Balenciaga’s spring campaign, have spoken out about the controversy.
Disgraced Kanye West, meanwhile, has continued to shop at Balenciaga stores and support the brand, despite the label’s decision to sever ties with the “All of the Lights” rapper amid his anti-Semitic tirades and “White Lives Matter” T-shirts.
“It’s a serious job, you know, to make clothes. It’s not about creating image or buzz or any of those things,” Demna concluded. “I am back to making jackets. That’s where this house started, and that’s where I started as a designer.”
Balenciaga and the Kering Foundation recently announced that they will partner with National Children’s Alliance (NCA) on its newly launched Mental Health Institute for the next three years.
Demna’s brand plans to show its next collection in March.
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