Vandals in Los Angeles have targeted local Balenciaga stores after a recent advertisement by the fashion company went viral for featuring young children holding BDSM-themed teddy bear handbags.
Two Beverly Hills storefronts near the Balenciaga store on Rodeo Drive were covered in graffiti criticizing the latest advertisements seen in photos obtained by the New York Post.
On one of the storefront’s glass windows, large stick-figure children were drawn with two messages, reading, “Children r not sexual objects” and “Not 4 sex!!!”
Another Balenciaga store in London also saw vandalism on Tuesday.
A street artist named Joe Bloggs allegedly wrote “paedophilia” at least three times on the outside glass window.
“I did it due to the abhorrent photoshoots Balenciaga did and their associations with various … people including Lotta Volkova,” Bloggs told Newsweek, referring to a fashion stylist linked to the designer label.
A disgruntled dude appears to daub the word 'paedophilia' across the shop-front of #Balenciaga Bond Street store in London this week.
The branch in Beverly Hills, #LosAngelesCL also had people’s feelings expressed on it’s store front. pic.twitter.com/BYrn9no0aL
— Mr Pål Christiansen 🇳🇴😍🇬🇧 (@TheNorskaPaul) November 30, 2022
Volkova came under fire recently following the fashion company’s controversy after some people dug up the content of former and current Balenciaga staff, including the stylist’s personal Instagram account.
Volkova allegedly removed four separate posts that portrayed scenes of violence and Satanic images, and made her account private after the content resurfaced.
A spokesperson for Volkova told Newsweek that “she condemns the abuse of children in any form.”
“Lotta Volkova has not worked with Balenciaga or its team since 2018, and she has in no way participated in the brand’s recent Instagram or advertising campaigns,” the spokesperson said.
Wearing @Balenciaga or Nazi founded @Adidas is endorsing all they've hidden in plain sight.
Their 'top' designer Russian Lotta Volkova's love for child abuse, blood, satan, cannibalism all on her IG👇🏼
Fashion is their confessional vessel. Has been for years. pic.twitter.com/2tViRrzPch
— Chanel Rion OAN (@ChanelRion) November 28, 2022
The attacks come after Balenciaga displayed images on its website earlier this month as part of its “Toy Stories” campaign, which featured photos of child models posing with the brand’s teddy bear handbags dressed in BDSM-themed gear from its Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
Balenciaga responded to the ongoing scandal on Monday by saying it could have “done things differently.”
The company claimed it “strongly condemns child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative.”
Balenciaga said it took several steps to correct what happened so it doesn’t happen again, including revising work and approval processes and working with organizations that “specialize in child protection and aims at ending child abuse and exploitation.”