FASHION FIRESTORM

Balenciaga Files $25 Million Lawsuit Over BDSM Teddy Bear Ad

The fashion house is blaming a production company and set designer for the ads, which featured young kids and allusions to child pornography.

After pulling a controversial ad that featured BDSM teddy bears modeled by children, Balenciaga has filed a $25 million lawsuit against those responsible for the spot—production company North Six, Inc. and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins and his eponymous company. Of particular issue was the inclusion, in the ads, of legal documents from a U.S. Supreme Court decision on child porn laws. According to the Manhattan Supreme Court summons, the fashion giant intends “to seek redress for extensive damages defendants caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce.” The advertisements supported the company’s spring/summer 2023 collection, and premiered at Paris Fashion Week. “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign,” the company stated. Neither North Six nor a Des Jardins representative responded to requests for comment, but photographer Gabriele Galimberti previously stated that he was not in control of the “direction of the campaign and the choice of the objects displayed.”