"He would have been absolutely horrified": Fans lament downfall of Cristobal Balenciaga's brand amid child campaign controversy

Balenciaga has suffered serious damage to its name and brand following the Spring 2023 campaign featuring children posing with teddy bears dressed in BDSM-inspired outfits. Despite the luxury brand filing a lawsuit against the production company and the set designer, damage like this sticks.

The brand's most recent ad campaign (Image via Twitter/DatCatDer)

Though the brand tried to point the blame on others, its name seems to have been tarnished by association. Fans who previously doted on the brand have now rescinded their support in an attempt to cancel them. Many are upset that the brand's current actions have also tarnished the name of Cristóbal, founder and designer.

Among others to lament the late Cristóbal's name, the chairman of the Latin Mass Society, Joseph Shaw, expressed his current disgust towards the brand by ringing in Cristóbal's Catholic upbringing. He said:

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Cristóbal Balenciaga established the dressmaking company under his name before he was 20 years old

Born in 1895 in Guetaria, Spain, Cristóbal began sewing at the age of 10 after his father's death, making it inevitable that his mother would be the sole earning member of his family. He visited Paris at the age of 15, which inspired him to become a couturier, and within five years, he established his own brand.

Over the next 15 years, Balenciaga grew to become a leading brand in Spain. After moving his brand to Paris, Cristóbal spent the next 30 years building his brand and iconizing new styles, including eliminating the waistline for flowy, cape-style clothes.

The Flamenco ball dress (L) designed by the founder (R) (Image via Getty/Cecil Beaton and Henri Cartier-Bresson)

Master of Haute Couture, Cristóbal, is famous for starting his design process using fabrics instead of sketches. His designs have been influenced by his Spanish heritage, and elements of those can be seen throughout the previously released lines of the brand.

The wide-hipped 'Infanta' dresses from the late 1930s, Flamenco dresses, matador outfits, and the use of black lace are wonderful examples of the same. His continued theme of 'abstracting the body' can be seen throughout his designs, from the babydoll dress to the four-point envelope dress.

The babydoll silhouette and the four-point envelope dress by Cristobal (image via Getty/Hiro and VM)

Ironically, Cristóbal largely stayed away from the press, giving an interview just once in his 50-year-long career. In 1968, the label was closed, and four years later, Cristóbal died at the age of 77 in Valencia, Spain. The relaunch in 1986 was credited to Nicolas Ghesquière and the current creative director, Demna Gvasalia.

Since Demna Gvasalia's takeover, the brand has found itself at the forefront of several controversies, and though Cristóbal Balenciaga's influence remained, there are visible deviations from his iconic style.

A young Cristobal (L) (image via Getty/Roger Viollet) and Demna Gvasalia (R) (image via Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris)

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Netizens thrash the current team for ruining the Balenciaga name

Cristóbal's design essence is credited with being wildly different from that of Demna Gvasalia's, which has sparked outrage among fashion enthusiasts. His flair for the dramatic characterization of the outfits is in stark contrast with the current Balenciaga name.

Demna's designs are now almost minimalist and are considered dull in comparison. With the onset of the most recent scandal, the luxury fashion house faces further backlash.

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Balenciaga's current style has been quite shaky but remains controversial. Gimp masks, tactical and military-inspired wear, fetish masks, studded facial prosthetics, and minimalism has walked the runway under the brand's name.