Controversial luxury fashion brand Balenciaga just officially opened their massive $1.8 million store in Charlotte (their first location in the Carolinas).
The French retailer renovated a 4,346-square-foot space in the middle of the SouthPark Mall and turned it into a quite unique cold and grey-toned space.
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 sits in the former Lacoste and Tommy John storefronts, next to Tiffany & Co., near Belk and Nordstrom.
The brand currently has 43 stores across the United States, with the closest one to the new South Park location in Atlanta.
