Kanye West, Kim Kardashian slam Balenciaga 'Kiddie Porn' row, but no one is buying it

Following the recent Balenciaga scandal over the sexualisation of children, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have broken their silence on the controversy. However, their statements are not fooling anyone.

What: The French haute couture company apologised after their recent ad campaign which featured children carrying the brand's 'plush bear bags', which are wearing S&M-style harnesses. Another advert had a kid lying on a sofa, with S&M accessories strewn all over the room.

Yet another advert, for their 'hourglass bag' displayed documents from the Supreme Court related to child pornography cases.

What Balenciaga is saying: Following the intense backlash from the Internet, the fashion company issued an apology on their Instagram Stories saying,

Balenciaga also scrubbed their official Instagram account clean, and left only an apology note on it.

• "We want to learn from our mistakes and identify ways we can contribute. Balenciaga reiterates its sincere apologies for the offense we have caused and extends its apologies to talents and partners," the statement said. 

Celeb-speak: A number of celebrities have spoken up against the campaign, labelling the advertisements “disgusting” and “over-sexualised”.

Most recently, Balenciaga’s former collaborator, Kanye West, called the company out.

Once one of Balenciaga’s most profitable collaborators, having just made his debut on the Balenciaga ramp as well, the company severed all ties with West last month, following his bouts of antisemitism. 

The criticism of Kim K's criticism: The rapper’s ex-wife and current Balenciaga collaborator, Kim Kardashian, also spoke out against the company, condemning its campaign and reevaluating her partnership with the company.

Kim Kardashian said that she was 'currently re-evaluating' her relationship with the brand.

However, Kim K's tweets did not fool anyone. Several people on Twitter called her out for her wishy-washy, ambiguous reaction to the entire controversy. What also left people quite stunned, and not in a good way, was that Kim herself is mother to four children: North West (9), Saint West (6), Chicago West (4) and Psalm West (3).

Supermodel Bella Hadid, meanwhile, was quick to respond to the controversy by deleting her recent Instagram post promoting the label, while actress Nicole Kidman, who also appeared in promotional content for Balenciaga, still has images up on her social media.

Death threats for the photographer: The photographer of the ‘bondage bear’ photoshoot, Gabrielle Galimberti, has reportedly been receiving death threats.

The Supreme Court documents displayed in the advert as part of the production design contained the 2008 US Supreme Court verdict that affirmed the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End Child Exploitation Today (PROTECT) Act that outlaws child pornography and its sale and distribution. 

Balenciaga's reaction: Balenciaga has sued the production company North Six and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins, claiming $25 million in damages, reported CNN.

The bigger picture: Balenciaga throwing the production company North Six and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins under the bus comes across as shirking of responsibility on the brand's part. Balenciaga, a brand that has made many statements with their fashion, went very far and very wrong with their latest campaign. Adidas, meanwhile, is still mum on the entire row. Point to note: The 'Messy Desk' advert that had the US Supreme Court's documents splayed on the table, was a collaboration between Balenciaga and Adidas.