Kim Kardashian's Relationship With Balenciaga—A Timeline After Reevaluation

Kim Kardashian has said she is reconsidering her relationship with Spanish designer label Balenciaga amid its "child porn" scandal, which could mark the end of many years of collaboration between the reality TV star and the fashion brand.

Kardashian, 42, broke her silence over the weekend after the brand faced backlash over two photoshoots, one of which showed young children posing with teddy bear bags dressed in bondage gear.

The other 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.

Kim Kardashian Vanity Fair Blue Dress
Kim Kardashian attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 27, 2022, in Beverly Hills. Top inset, at the Balenciaga show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 6, 2015.... Daniele Venturelli/Getty;Pascal Le Segretain/Getty; Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty

A petition to the court asked it to rule whether laws banning "pandering"—i.e. 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.

After the photoshoots went viral, many slammed the designer label for "sexualizing children." Kardashian received backlash for not condemning the brand soon enough.

But the influencer eventually released a statement on her social media that said she was "disgusted" by the images.

"As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images," she said. "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."

Kardashian 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."

She was first introduced to the label by then-boyfriend Kanye West—who has since legally changed his name to Ye.

The now-divorced pair were often spotted at the front row of its fashion shows. Ye even collaborated with Balenciaga this year for his Yeezy and Gap Collection.

The couple became synonymous with the label and Kardashian even went on to star in campaigns with it.

Here is a look back at Kardashian's association with Balenciaga over the years.

2013: Balenciaga Baes

kanye west and kim kardashian
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at a Balenciaga store on January 11, 2013, in Paris, France. The pair were often spotted at the front row of its fashion shows and Ye even collaborated with Balenciaga... Filmmagic/Mark Piasecki

Just months after going public as a couple, Kardashian and West hit up one of the Paris Balenciaga stores for a shopping spree.

Kardashian was pregnant at the time with their first child, North, who was born in June of that year.

2014: Front Row Family

kanye west, north and kim kardashian
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and their daughter North West attend the Balenciaga show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2015 on September 24, 2014. Bertrand Rindoff Petroff

The high-profile couple brought new baby North to Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2015 runway show, where they sat front row.

Alexander Wang was still at the helm of the label and the famous family turned up to support their long-time friend.

2015: Sheer Delight

Kim Kardashian in white dress and blondehair
Kim Kardashian attends the Balenciaga show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 6, 2015. Sporting a platinum blonde hairdo, Kardashian wore a sheer white top to the show. Getty Images Europe/Pascal Le Segretain

Kardashian left little to the imagination as she and West once again jetted to France for the Paris Fashion Week in 2015.

Sporting a platinum blonde hairdo, Kardashian wore a sheer white top that showed off her assets along with a bedazzled skirt as the couple attended the womenswear fall/winter 2015/2016 show.

2016: Less Is More

kim kardashian no makeup
Kardashian attends the Balenciaga show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on October 2, 2016. Kardashian wore her dark hair in a straight style to compliment her revealing trench coat and... Getty Images Europe/Bertrand Rindoff Petroff

The reality star debuted a pared-down, makeup-free look as she flew solo to the 2016 Balenciaga runway show in Paris.

Kardashian wore her dark hair in a straight style to compliment her revealing trench coat and thigh-high boots.

She took on a more understated look and style in the months after a hotel robbery, which saw her held up at gunpoint in Paris.

2018: Gift Giving

Kardashian gifted her sister Khloe a rare Balenciaga handbag for her 34th birthday and shared her opening the gift to her Instagram stories.

The bag covered in dollar bill print was believed to be worth about $4,324 at the time.

2021: Kardashian's Balenciaga Era Begins

kim kardashian met gala
Kim Kardashian attends The 2021 Met Gala on September 13, 2021, in New York City. The reality star almost exclusively wore Balenciaga to public events for the entire year. Getty Images North America/Theo Wargo

Kardashian's year with Balenciaga began with a stunning blue dress number at the Vanity Fair Oscar after-party. The reality star almost exclusively wore Balenciaga to public events for the entire year.

She became Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia's muse to great success.

Then, in August—despite filing for divorce—Kardashian made a surprise appearance during Ye's Donda album listening party, where she walked onto the stadium floor in a Balenciaga wedding dress and veil.

Kardashian served a jaw-dropping display at the Met Gala red carpet in September. She wore a head-to-toe fitted number with a cape and a black mask completely hiding her face. Online searches for Balenciaga jumped 505 percent after the event, according to Grazia.

kim kardashian pink
Kim Kardashian arrives at the afterparty for "Saturday Night Live" on October 10, 2021 in New York City. She wore three Balenciaga outfits during the show and two more for the after-party. Gotham/GC Images

For her debut stint hosting Saturday Night Live, Kardashian wore three different Balenciaga outfits and changed into a fourth, including a $23,000 sparkly coat, for the after-party.

2022: Balenciaga Ambassador

Kardashian's love affair with Balenciaga continued into 2022 and she was rarely spotted wearing any other designers.

The mom-of-four even starred in Balenciaga's fall 2022 fashion show where she walked on the runway alongside other celebrities such as Dua Lipa and Nicole Kidman.

She also starred in the brand's fall 2022 campaign.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more

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