Balenciaga’s Creative Director Demna Breaks Silence on Teddy Bear Ad: ‘I Need to Learn From This’

usmagazine.com:

Owning up. Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna, broke his silence on the brand’s controversial teddy bear ad, which featured children posing with stuffed animals dressed in BDSM-like attire.After weeks of backlash, Demna, 41, released a statement via Instagram on Friday, December 2, calling the campaign “inappropriate.”“I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids,” he began. “I take my responsibility.

It was inappropriate to have kids promote objects that had nothing to do with them.”A post shared by Demna (@demna)He went on to explain that while he often tries to “provoke” thought through his work, he “would NEVER have an intention to do that with such an awful subject as child abuse that I condemn.

Period.”He added: “I need to learn from this, listen and engage with child protection organizations to know how I can contribute and help on this terrible subject.

I apologize to anyone offended by the visuals and Balenciaga has guaranteed that adequate measures will be taken not only to avoid similar mistakes in the future but also to take accountability in protecting child welfare in every way we can.”Earlier this month, the luxury label released a “Toy Stories” campaign on its website, which showed young children from different backgrounds photographed with Balenciaga’s plush bear bags.