Controversial luxury fashion brand Balenciaga about to build a massive $1.8 million store in Charlotte.
The French retailer recently filed a building permit with Mecklenburg County for a major renovation of a 4,346-square-foot space in the middle of the SouthPark Mall.
In late 2022, Balenciaga faced major backlash for a holiday ad campaign featuring children with teddy bears in bondage harnesses. The images led to swift criticism, with the hashtag #cancelBalenciaga trending on social media. A later ad showed a bag atop documents from a Supreme Court case on child pornography, further fueling controversy.
the brand “Balenciaga” just did a uh….. interesting… photoshoot for their new products recently which included a very purposely poorly hidden court document about ‘virtual child porn’
normal stuff pic.twitter.com/zjMN5WhZ0s
— shoe (@shoe0nhead) November 21, 2022
Despite apologizing, and using less children in their ads, Balenciaga continues to spark debate with shocking imagery.
Here is one of their more recent ad campaigns:
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The new store will be in the former Lacoste and Tommy John storefronts, next to Tiffany & Co., near Belk and Nordstrom.
This is scheduled to become the first Balenciaga location in the Carolinas. The brand currently has 43 stores across the United States, with the closest one to Charlotte now in Atlanta..
The store is expected to open by the end of 2024.
