Balenciaga has surprisingly restored its Instagram feed after months of archiving all posts. This decision followed the brand's campaign controversies in 2022, which led to Balenciaga addressing the issues internally and archiving its social media feed. Demna, the creative director, participated in a tell-all interview with Vogue, discussing the brand's plans for the Fall/Winter 2023 season and what the fashion industry could expect from its return.
As part of its strategy to go back to basics, Balenciaga un-archived its old posts, allowing followers to view content from June 18, 2018, to June 16, 2021. However, the brand still skipped over the last few controversial months. In addition to its archived in-feed posts, Balenciaga also returned to posting on Instagram and Instagram Stories, re-sharing multiple images from previous posts to formally announce its digital reawakening. It's also important to note, that all posts comments have been removed, and new post comments have been disabled on Balenciaga's Instagram.
The future direction of Balenciaga's Instagram presence remains uncertain, but it is expected that the brand will shift away from its former "fashion as entertainment" ethos and place more emphasis on Demna's designs in upcoming posts. As Balenciaga continues to rebuild its reputation, the fashion world awaits the brand's next steps and whether its Spring/Summer 2023 showcase will be enough to salvage its image.
