Source: NYpost.com.
USA – NEW YORK – Controversial fashion house Balenciaga is hiring a crisis management expert after the backlash to its unsettling child-bondage ad campaign — which the high-end brand admitted has affected its bottom line.
The embattled brand — a longtime favorite of celebs like Kim Kardashian — listed an ad Tuesday for a vice president of communications to be based in New York.
A key responsibility is to “support in the development and execution of external and internal crisis communications strategy and responses.”
A “reasonable estimate” of the salary is between $150,000 and $200,000, the listing states, even after French owners Kering admitted to financial “challenges” sparked largely by blowback to the BDSM ads.
“This is an exciting opportunity to join Balenciaga’s Corporate team,” the job ad brags, ignoring the fallout that led many of the brand’s one-time devoted celebrity clientele to largely turn against it.
The fashion house came under fire at the end of 2022 for two disturbing ad campaigns.
One featured young children holding teddy bears in bondage gear — while another showed a bag on a desk strewn with legal documents from a Supreme Court case on child pornography.
The company repeatedly apologized and initially filed a $25 million lawsuit against one of the producers, which has since been withdrawn.
Creative director Demna also released a groveling apology, saying he will “go back to my roots in fashion as well as to the roots of Balenciaga, which is making quality clothes – not making image or buzz.”
“This is part of my learning: I will have a more mature and serious approach to everything I release as an idea or an image.”
While not mentioning the scandal directly, the job ad told applicants: “We invite you to become part of a team that offers possibilities to learn and grow.”
