A file picture shows shoppers passing the Balenciaga store on New Bond Street in London. Photo: Bloomberg
Balenciaga said it will partner with the National Children’s Alliance after the fashion brand was accused of sexualising children in advertising last year.
The Kering SA label said the three-year programme with the Washington DC-based not-for-profit organisation will help train almost 2,000 professionals specialised in dealing with child abuse.
It will also help an estimated 55,000 children receive mental health attention over the course of the programme, according to a statement on Balenciaga’s Instagram account Wednesday (Feb 8).
Read more: Balenciaga apologises after accusations it sexualised children in fashion ads
The announcement comes more than two months after the fashion label was berated for having sexualised children in an ad campaign, which prompted the brand to issue apologies.
The scandal likely hurt sales at Balenciaga in the last quarter of 2022.
The brand’s "hyper-growth mode will undoubtedly have been curbed by the recent PR blow-up around child abuse imagery in its ads and this will have hit sales, notably in the US,” HSBC analysts including Aurelie Husson-Dumoutier wrote in a note on Jan 5.
Balenciaga is scheduled to hold its women’s ready-to-wear show on March 5 during Paris Fashion Week.
Artistic director Demna (Demna Gvasalia) also issued an apology in December over the scandal.
Read more: Balenciaga controversy leads to lawsuit and Kim Kardashian 're-evaluating' ties
Kering doesn’t break down Balenciaga’s contribution to sales, but HSBC estimated that the brand probably generated around €1.76bil (RM8.13bil) in 2021. Kering reports annual earnings on Feb 15.
Balenciaga didn’t feature in Lyst’s top 10 most-sought-after fashion labels in a ranking for the fourth quarter. It’s the first time Balenciaga didn’t make it since Lyst started publishing the ranking in 2017, a representative for the shopping app said. – Bloomberg
