Rapper Kanye West was seen wearing Balenciaga boots with the brand’s logo covered up by a “YE24” sticker, apparently referring to his 2024 presidential campaign. The move comes amid the fashion brand’s scandal involving its recent BDSM photo shoot involving children.
West was seen sporting a $1,100 pair of Balenciaga rainboots in Los Angeles, California, with the logo concealed, according to a report by Daily Mail.
The move to hide the Balenciaga logo arrives amid the luxury fashion brand facing heavy backlash for its recent ad campaign, which featured photos of children holding teddy bears clad in bondage outfits, as well as sheets of paper containing text from two U.S. Supreme Court cases: U.S. v. Williams, which criminalized child pornography, and Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, which made virtual child porn protected speech.
Additionally, Balenciaga cut ties with West last month, after the rapper went on a series of anti-Semitic rants.
On Friday, West slammed Hollywood celebrities for not condemning the fashion house, telling TMZ, “This just shows you all celebrities are controlled. You don’t see no celebrities talking about the Balenciaga situation.”
After remaining silent for nearly a week, West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian — who has a long history with Balenciaga — finally addressed the scandal involving the fashion brand in a Twitter thread, in which she stated that she was “shaken by the disturbing images.”
Last week, Balenciaga issued a lengthy statement claiming it had no control over the props used in its creepy BDSM-themed campaign featuring photos of children and Supreme Court documents pertaining to child pornography.
The next day, the luxury fashion company issued an apology for the ad campaign.
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