Do we like them?

Do we like Balenciaga?

Luxury fashion house making clothing, bags and shoes, founded in Spain in 1917 and based in Paris, France.

Our score: 4 out of 10. Not yet. The 2022 child-imagery campaign was a serious failure of judgment, and the searches turned up little on its pay, supply chain or environmental record. A new creative director is a fresh start.

Balenciaga is a Paris luxury house owned by Kering. Under Demna, its creative director for years, it went from a niche label to a huge streetwear-flavoured brand. One outlet put its revenue growth at about $350m to over $2bn, though sources differ on the figures.

In late 2022 the brand got a big backlash over an ad campaign that was viewed as an endorsement of child abuse and pornography. Demna and CEO Cédric Charbit both apologised, and both kept their jobs.

Charbit's statement promised new internal processes, including an 'image board' to check content. Kering also said Balenciaga had no relationship or future projects with Ye. Kering admitted the controversy hurt sales in late 2022.

Demna moved to Gucci in 2025. Kering named Pierpaolo Piccioli to replace him, effective July 10, 2025. His shows have moved away from streetwear and back toward the house's elegant roots. We found nothing on pay, supply chain or the environment, so we're marking it down to a cautious 4.