Balenciaga’s creative director Demna has apologised for an ad campaign that appeared to reference child abuse and vowed to drop his provocative showmanship in an interview with Vogue.
The ads, published late last year, featured children holding bags designed to look like teddy bears, but with studs and harnesses, and surrounded by adult items including wine glasses.
It sparked huge condemnation online, including from celebrities close to Demna and the brand such as Kim Kardashian.
In his first published interview since the furore, Demna (who dropped his last name in 2021), told the fashion bible there was never any intention to reference abuse.
“I have seen a lot of drama in my life, but this was particularly hard… a mistake to learn from,” he said in the interview, published late Thursday.
“I realise that my work has been seen as provocative, but this specific situation would never be part of my, you know, provocative nature,” he added.
Demna told Vogue that the bears were a reference to punk, not BDSM.
But he had no explanation for props used in another series of photographs, including a printout from a US Supreme Court ruling about child pornography
