Picture: Instagram
As someone who seemingly loves all things urban fashion, AKA has been surprisingly quiet about one of the brands he has previously worn being embroiled in a child porn scandal.
“Balenciaga is the absolute last thing on my mind right now,” laughed the rapper.
This after telling a fan “I’m not worried about Balenciaga because Balenciaga is not worried about me chief”.
This after the fan asked why local celebrities had not made any public statements condemning the fashion house.
He also poked fun at the fact that social media users have previously made fun of him for having an opinion on certain topics. Also alluding to the fact that this is why he now keeps his opinion off social media.
“Me: I think that Balenciaga should…” You: “Shut up AKA, you voted for the ANC…” he tweeted.
The brand is in hot water for two of its recent campaigns.
According to a report by the New York Times, one campaign featured photos of children clutching handbags that look like teddy bears in bondage gear.
Another campaign featured photos that include paperwork about child pornography laws.
A few initial Instagram apologies were posted in the wake of the storm but the brand later issued a statement admitting to “a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility”.
It further announced ongoing “internal and external investigations” and “new controls”.
The brand also said it would reach out to organisations that specialise in child protection and aim at ending child abuse and exploitation.
“We want to learn from our mistakes and identify ways we can contribute,” the statement read.
Reality show star and social media titan Kim Kardashian said she is “re-evaluating” her involvement with luxury fashion house Balenciaga, after it apologised for ads featuring children holding teddy bears wearing what critics called bondage gear.
“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” Kardashian, a celebrity ambassador for the brand, wrote on Instagram Sunday night, adding that she had spent the last few days talking with the Balenciaga team “to understand for myself how this could have happened”.
“The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalise child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period,” she wrote.
“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand,” the star posted to her account, which has 74 million followers.
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Additional reporting by AFP
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