Balenciaga renews contract with designer accused of advocating pedophilia; remember controversies

With the end of the spring 2025 shows at Paris Fashion Week, Demna Gvasali, creative director of Balenciaga, announced the renewal of his contract with the brand. The news is seen with strangeness in the fashion world, as some of the designer’s collections have become controversial.

Gvasali has headed Balenciaga since 2015, when he replaced Alexander Wang. Previously, he had founded the Vetements brand alongside his brother, Guram, with whom he developed a feud after his departure. The director received several accusations of plagiarism from his family member.

The controversies began at the parade of his first creations for the Spanish brand in 2016. Gvasali was criticized for putting together a group of models without diversity of ethnicities or bodies. Despite this, the collection was well evaluated, as it brought color and vivacity to the brand.

In addition to his brother’s accusations of plagiarism, Gvasali was charged on other occasions for allegedly copying other people’s creations. One of them was made by Ikea, a chain of decoration stores, which showed a copy of its blue grocery bag.

The controversy ended in a win-win situation, as Ikea decided to run a campaign to promote its bag. “Get the original for just US$0.90”, the advertising said. The Balenciaga accessory, in leather instead of plastic, cost US$2,145.

Gvasali was also accused by fashion student Tra My Nguyen, who, in 2020, said that the brand had copied images of a design she had sent. On Instagram, Balenciaga stated that the collection was “not based on any artist.”

Later, in 2022, the designer was accused of apologizing for pedophilia when a collection that used children and sex toys was released. Internet users and the press reported that the photos endorsed child pornography. The brand even apologized, saying that it should not place children next to sex toys, but the designer’s reputation was marked.

In addition to these controversies, the “shabby” sneakers, the bracelet that imitates duct tape and some other controversial creations marked the brand’s director’s career.