Kim Kardashian 'shaken' by Balenciaga's 'disturbing' teddy bear campaign

Kim Kardashian was left feeling "shaken" by Balenciaga's controversial campaign featuring children holding what some have likened to BDSM teddy bears.

The mum-of-four, who has worked with the French luxury house many times, broke her silence on social media, saying she is "currently re-evaluating" her relationship with the brand.

It comes after Balenciaga released a new campaign that showed children holding teddy bears in leather gear which has been likened to S&M ensemble. One of the photos showed a child holding a bear dressed in restraints with a lock and chain around its neck.

"I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened," Kardashian told her followers.

"As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period," Kim continued. "I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again."

Addressing her future plans to work with the brand again, Kardashian said: "As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — and the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children."

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The Spring/Summer 2023 campaign drew backlash online, with Balenciaga releasing a statement shortly after.

"We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms," the company wrote in a statement posted to its Instagram Story.

"We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign" the company continued in its statement.

"We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being."

All of the brand's Instagram posts have since been hidden or deleted.

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