Luxury brand Balenciaga is facing major backlash over a recent ad campaign that featured an image of a court document relating to a child pornography case and photos of children holding teddy bears dressed in BDSM gear. The company claims they are not responsible for the content of the ad campaign and they've filed a lawsuit against the ad agency they hired to produce the campaign.
According to documents filed in a Manhattan court, Balenciaga alleges production company North Six, Inc. and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins were hired to create the ad campaign and they're seeking $25 million in damages.
Balenciaga has apologized for the campaign and pulled the ads, but they're now facing a public relations nightmare.
Balenciaga claims North Six included the images of the child pornography court case documents without its knowledge, which they say was “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless."
The court documents go on to say, "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," and that the defendants "are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association.”
Source: Page Six