Kim Kardashian is selling a selection of her Balenciaga items at a reduced price online after she defended her response to the fashion brand’s recent scandal.
Balenciaga faced backlash late last year for since-deleted campaign images on its website, including toddlers holding the company’s teddy bear handbags. The stuffed toys appeared to be dressed in bondage gear, such as fishnet shirts and studded leather harnesses and collars.
Another photoshoot for Balenciaga’s collaboration with Adidas showed a bag resting on some papers, one of which was a ruling by the Supreme Court in 2008.
A petition to the court asked it to rule whether laws banning “pandering” or promoting child pornography was a violation of freedom of speech under the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled it wasn’t, and voted in a majority to uphold laws criminalizing the advertising, distribution, and promotion of child pornography.
Following days of criticism, Balenciaga brand ambassador Kardashian said in a statement shared on Twitter that she was “disgusted” and “shaken” by the images and that she was “re-evaluating” her relationship with the label.
Kardashian then faced further backlash for her response to the scandal, a moment she defended during a podcast appearance late last month.
The TV personality is now selling a number of her personal Balenciaga items—from footwear to dresses and hats—on Kardashian Kloset, the website she and other family members use to sell their high-fashion clothing to fans.
While Kardashian’s reduced Balenciaga prices may be lower than retail, they still require deep pockets, with casual branded caps selling between $225 and $295.
A pair of thigh-high rare mesh Balenciaga boots have been reduced from $5,995 to $4,795, while a logo sweatshirt is now $795, down from $995.
For those in the market for a black denim jacket, the mother of four has placed one on the website for $995 (originally $1,195). A pair of animal-print sandals are being sold for $485, down from $595.
A number of the items are marked as rare and/or new and sit among pieces from several other fashion houses, including Tom Ford, Gucci, Christian Dior, Lanvin, Balmain, Alexander Wang, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Prada, and Hermès.
Balenciaga has since apologized for the images, and Kardashian faced pressure when the scandal first erupted to speak out.
She ultimately released a statement on Twitter that read: “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.”
The reality star and businesswoman added: “As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off its willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with—& the actions I am expecting to see it take to protect children.”
Kardashian faced continued criticism for her response, with conservative commentator Candace Owens saying she had “no soul” for not outright severing ties with the beleaguered fashion brand.
Addressing the backlash she faced from detractors, Kardashian told Angie Martinez on her IRL podcast last month: “The Balenciaga thing. It was like, ‘Why aren’t you speaking out?’ And I’m like wait, I’m not in this campaign. I don’t know what’s happening, let me take a minute… As soon as I saw what everyone was seeing on the internet and the reality of the situation, I completely spoke out and gave my thoughts on child porn and completely denounced it.
“But because I didn’t say, ‘F*** you, Balenciaga, that’s it,’ people got mad at that. So it’s like, they’re mad if I don’t speak out. They’re mad if I do speak out, and if I don’t cancel. They’re just mad that if you don’t cancel someone in today’s society, then…I know people talk about cancel culture, but it’s still happening.”
She added: “It’s never been my place. The point of life is to make mistakes and to grow and to involve and be better people. Obviously, there is absolutely no place for an ounce to even play with anything with children. Any sexualization of children, there’s not an ounce of that should be in our brains, in our society. I get that. I couldn’t have been more clear, this is horrifying, this is disturbing.”
The post Kim Kardashian Sells Balenciaga for Cheap After Defending Scandal Response appeared first on Newsweek.
