By putting children in the middle of luxury objects, the brand did not imagine being accused of child pornography on social networks. And is now used to stop the “fake news”.
by Léna Mauger
Six days: Balenciaga’s latest advertising campaign will undoubtedly remain one of the shortest in fashion history. Since the arrival, in 2015, of the Georgian Demna Gvasalia (now called DEMNA) to the artistic direction, the brand plays Provoc ‘, by offering for example precious leather bags at 1,750 euros. And by creating shocking images: a parade in the middle of an artificial snowstorm a few days after the Russian invasion in Ukraine or more recently in the middle of a mountain of postapocalyptic mud with Kanye West at the opening. The tornado that today shakes Balenciaga seems more devastating. She says that the power of the luxury group Kering, owner of the house, can do nothing against the runaway of social networks and the spread of Fake News.
It all starts in September with an email received by the documentary photographer Gabriele Galimberti. Based in Milan, Galimberti is interested in humans through what he likes or has. His signature is portraits: Americans with their weapons (World Press Photo 2021), grannies sharing their best cooking recipes, children around the world with their favorite toys. This last series, “Toy Story”, started in 2010, caught the eye of Balenciaga, who asked him to use the concept for his “Holiday” campaign of Christmas: children will pose with brand objects.
an internal casting
The shoot is organized in a villa near Paris on October 17 and 18. He is behind the lens. The Balenciaga teams have selected limited edition objects – dog bowl at 750 euros, lunch box at 650, champagne flute at 600, 1,200 bedroom set … Each staging is first tested with a false Plastic child and the image is sent to headquarters in Paris. One or two hours later, once the scenography validated by the hierarchy, a child dressed in Balenciaga Kids pose in place of the doll.
The luxury company has organized an internal casting, the models are girls and sons of Balenciaga collaborators. They come accompanied by their parents. On November 16, the six visuals of “Holiday” appeared on networks and articles followed. “Balenciaga imagines wacky interior objects to have (absolutely) at home”, title the monthly gq.
Some Internet users criticize the bad taste of the countryside, its gloomy or provocative side; Others reinforce this instrumentalization of childhood. Then, suddenly, the word BDSM (bondage, domination, sadism, masochism) is used by a twittos to describe the teddy bear bags wearing chains and harnesses.
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