Is Balenciaga officially back?

Two weeks ago, the brand showed in Paris Fashion Week, and from the looks of things it may be moving past its scandal. Balenciaga has been plagued with controversy since last year when it released a holiday campaign that was received as wildly inappropriate.

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Balenciaga was accused of sexualizing children in two controversial ad campaigns — and the backlash has been swift. On February 9, Balenciaga creative director Demna spoke about the controversy in an exclusive interview with Vogue. In the interview, he says that while he approved the set dressing prior to the Spring 2023 campaign, which was meant to reference the Wall Street location where that season’s runway show was held, he wasn’t on-site for the shoot itself.

Demna also said that while he knows much of his work has been seen as deliberately provocative, it wasn’t his intention in these campaigns. “I realize that my work has been seen as provocative, but this specific situation would never be part of my, you know, provocative nature. That was the most difficult thing for me personally: How could I not see [the problem]? Because it is so clear to me now that it was the wrong thing to do.” In fact, the designer got defensive when asked by Vogue if the problematic props were intentional. “Intentional from who? From us? What I can definitely say is that it was not intentional by me or Balenciaga. If it was intentional by someone else, I don’t know,” adding that the document props in the Spring 2023 shoot were a shock to him. “I don’t know how they ended up there. They were not supposed to be there. I was completely stunned.”

Ultimately, Demna seemingly recognizes at least some level of responsibility in the scandal and seeks to make it clear that the campaigns were not intentionally problematic with the goal of being provocative. “Despite what many people may have suspected, the issue with the campaigns was absolutely not in any way part of my provocative design language—never, ever would I have an idea to mess around with such an awful and horrible thing as child abuse.”

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There were many calls to cancel and boycott the brand and after issuing an apology, creative director Demna has been attempting to make a comeback through fashion shows. After establishing a reputation for viral stints and satirical clothes, Demna said he would be turning his focus to craftsmanship and presenting more pared-down designs.

But the latest campaign takes a different approach. It features big names in fashion like Kim Kardashian, model Amanda Lapore, and renowned runway critic Cathy Horyn. The designs felt very true to Demna's signature aesthetic with oversized proportions and leather handbags in the shape of shoes, and with plenty of A-List stars sitting front row, it seems like the industry has welcomed this return.