Balenciaga is quietly rewriting its social media playbook. After wiping its feeds in the wake of the 2022 ad scandal and pulling back from the spotlight, the fashion house has returned to Instagram with a surprisingly upbeat holiday campaign, built around gem-encrusted bags, sparkly shoes, and candy-colored minis, rather than its usual dystopian black “doom-core” aesthetic.
From scandal to social silence
In November 2022, Balenciaga faced global backlash over two campaigns: a holiday “Gift Shop” shoot that showed children holding plush bear bags styled with harness-like straps, and a separate office-themed images set that included legal documents referencing a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on child pornography laws. Both campaigns ran on Instagram, where outrage escalated rapidly and spilled into mainstream news, sparking boycotts and the viral **#cancellenciaga hashtag.
The brand pulled the ads, issued formal apologies, and initially filed a 25 million U.S. dollar lawsuit against production partners before…
dropping the case and publicly taking responsibility for what its leadership later described as “a series of grave mistakes” in judgment and oversight.
In the months that followed, Balenciaga sharply reduced its advertising presence, overhauled internal image-approval processes, and entered a multi-year partnership with child-protection organizations as part of its remediation efforts.
A softer visual reset Against that backdrop, the brand’s reappearance on Instagram with a cheerful holiday drop marks a clear departure from the bleak, post-apocalyptic sets and distressed “trash-core” styling that defined its pre-scandal aesthetic.
Instead of muddy palettes and piles of snow or mud, the new posts spotlight bright, giftable products: gem-encrusted handbags, glittered heels, and compact, color-pop mini bags designed to photograph cleanly in a grid and feel clearly “holiday” at a glance…
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