After being caught inserting subliminal messages inciting pedophilia and child pornography into their advertisements, luxury fashion brand Balenciaga blames the producers and sues them for $25 million.
On Friday, the luxury brand sued the production company North Six, Inc. and the set designer Nicholas Des Jardins, for using a legal document from a Supreme Court ruling on child porn laws as a prop.
“Upon information and belief, Defendants, without Balenciaga’s knowledge or authorization, included certain documents in the campaign photographs, including an excerpt from a court decision upholding a criminal prohibition against child pornography,” the filing states. “Balenciaga believes that Defendants’ inexplicable acts and omissions were malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless.”
“As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and horrifically associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision. Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association,” it continued.
Epoch Times reported:
In a two-page summons (pdf) filed Friday in New York State Supreme Court for the County of New York, Balenciaga stated it was seeking redress for “extensive damages” that North Six and Des Jardins “caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce.”
The ad campaign supported Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2023 collection and had premiered at Paris Fashion Week.
Balenciaga took issue with campaign photographs that included court documents from a U.S. Supreme Court decision (United States v. Williams) about a law banning child pornography pandering. Specifically, a photo of a handbag, a Balenciaga and Adidas collaboration, included the court file that was partially covered by the bag. Only those who scrutinized the photo would have noticed the detail.
Daily Mail reported that a Balenciaga spokesperson told the outlet the company was suing third-party creatives, not full-time employees or the photographers, who were reportedly hired specifically for that set.
The high-end fashion brand Balenciaga has received internet backlash for a creepy ad that features two young girls holding stuffed animals dressed in what looks to be bondage gear.
The company also advertised a handbag with a copy of the Supreme Court’s decision in a child pornography case as a prop.
Balenciaga issued an apology for their creepy child BDSM-themed photoshoot for the Spring/Summer 2023 collection. The company also pulls controversial ads.