Nicole Kidman is Balenciaga’s new ambassador one year after ‘BDSM teddy’ scandal
Nicole Kidman drew immense backlash for not speaking out against the brand after its disastorous Spring ‘23 campaign featured children and bondage dolls. Now, she’s their ambassador.
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Step aside Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman has picked up the poisoned chalice of Balenciaga.
The Australian actor was announced as the newest ambassador of the controversial fashion house on Sunday, about an hour before their star-studded Fall 2024 presentation in Los Angeles.
Kidman, 56, appears to be playing with fire of public outrage.
The Nine Perfect Strangers star featured in one of two ad campaigns that threatened to wipe the luxury fashion house from existence in November 2022. The first featured child models posing with “BDSM teddy bears”, and also appeared surrounded by empty wine and champagne glasses.
Kidman, alongside Bella Hadid and Isabelle Huppert, were involved in the 2023 campaign, which saw a Balenciaga x Addidas bag positioned on top of a pile of papers, which were pages from a US Supreme Court decision on child pornography laws.
While many celebrities publicly cut ties with Balenciaga in the aftermath, Kidman has ignored the controversy and made no mention of it on her social media or in interviews.
Taken together, the two campaigns prompted a level of consumer outrage that is rarely witnessed in the fashion industry. Consumers flooded the comments sections of Balenciaga’s social media pages to denounce the brand for “supporting pedophilia,” and wild conspiracy theories swirled.
Balenciaga ignored the scandal at first and seemingly allowed the photographer who was involved, Gabriele Galimberti, to take the heat.
He released a statement saying he had no control over the content of the shoot and eventually, Balenciaga released its own statement agreeing with him and taking responsibility for the campaign.
Even so, the company was forced to pull way back on advertising in certain markets, it fell from grace in relevant industry rankings, and its sales suffered.
On Sunday, Kidman attended Balenciaga’s fashion show in a dramatic black coat paired with oversized pearl drop earrings, tights and pointy-toed heels.
Kim Kardashian and sister Kendall Jenner, actor Natasha Lyonne, and rapper Cardi B were also in attendance, alongside Kidman’s co-star Aussie Samara Weaving.
Kidman has been a longtime unofficial ambassador for Balenciaga on red carpets, and even wore a Balenciaga wedding dress for her marriage to Keith Urban in 2006.
Taking to Instagram, the Big Little Lies star shared a series of moody, black-and-white images of herself showing off her coat while posing against a plain concrete wall.
While some fans praised the move, other comments indicate the publicity blunder is far from forgotten.
Originally published as Nicole Kidman is Balenciaga’s new ambassador one year after ‘BDSM teddy’ scandal
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