The man behind creating the creepy Balenciaga ad campaign that featured disturbing photos of children and BDSM gets to keep his job, even after causing public outrage.
The high-end fashion label dropped its $25 million lawsuit against a Brooklyn production company, North Six, which 41-year-old Demna works for, saying that it was no longer seeking action against the company that admitted being responsible for the child pornography.
Just two weeks, Balenciaga faced major criticism after posting ads featuring little girls wearing bondage-themed clothing while holding teddy bears outfitted with other fetish items, including a padlocked chain, a mesh shirt, and spiked bracelets. Some of the bears even had their eyes poked out.
It is important to note that the ads featuring the children were not meant to advertise a clothing and accessories line for kids.
In one of the ads, a young girl can be seen posing behind a table covered with empty champagne, beer, and wine glasses.
Demna issued an apology statement, calling the series of ads a “wrong artistic choice.”
“I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids and I take my responsibility,” Demna said in an Instagram post, adding “it was inappropriate to have kids promote objects that had nothing to do with them.”
The 41-year-old man continued to say that the art only “provoked a thought.”
“As much as I would sometimes like to provoke thought through my work… I would NEVER have the intention to do that with such an awful subject as child abuse that I condemn. Period,” Demna said.
Critics dug up previous work published by the production company for Balenciaga, in which one July photo reveals a book in the background by artist Michael Borremans whose work includes depictions of naked, castrated toddlers.