Kim Kardashian announces she’s new brand ambassador of Balenciaga after ad scandal

Kim Kardashian has announced that she’s the new brand ambassador for Balenciaga.

The 43-year-old Skims founder is making her relationship with the French fashion house official after donning creative director Demna Gvasalia’s designs for years. Kardashian’s official announcement portrait was shot by documentary photographer Platon and accompanied by a statement by her, which read: “For several years now, Balenciaga’s designs have been a part of my many looks – and some of my most iconic fashion moments.”

“This historic fashion house embraces modernity, craftsmanship and takes an innovative approach to design under Demna,” she continued. “For me, this long-standing relationship is built on mutual trust and a commitment to doing what’s right. I’m excited about this next chapter for the brand and to become their ambassador.”

In the past, Kardashian has also co-starred in many of Balenciaga’s campaigns, sat front row at the brand’s runway shows, walked in the house’s 51st Couture show, and accompanied Demna to the 2021 Met Gala. However, her ties to the fashion house haven’t been scandal-free.

In November 2022, Balenciaga faced intense backlash over two controversial campaigns: one that styled children with BDSM-inspired teddy bear bags and another that included SCOTUS documents regarding child pornography laws in the background. Kardashian - who many had come to associate with the luxury fashion brand - was pressured to take a stand on the “disturbing” campaigns. The reality TV star eventually released a statement that said that she was “reevaluating [her] relationship with the brand.”

“As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images,” she said at the time. “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.”

Although she took a stand against the concerning imagery in the campaigns, she also defended Balenciaga, saying that the brand understood the gravity of the situation. “I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again,” she said.

Even though Kardashian condemned the campaigns at the time, in December 2023, she and her sister Kendall Jenner notably attended Balenciaga’s Fall 2024 fashion show in Los Angeles. Her return to Balenciaga signals that the controversial brand has been setting the stage for a comeback, waiting for the backlash around the 2022 scandal to be a distant memory.

Kardashian isn’t the only famous face to be announced as one of the brand’s new ambassadors, with Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman joining the reality TV star on the fashion house’s roster. Kidman was announced as an ambassador around the same time as the brand’s Fall 2024 show.