Here’s The List Of Luxury Brands To Avoid That Are Under Balenciaga’s Parent Company, Kering

Balenciaga caused public outrage with their indecent campaign that featured images of young children around sex objects. Their other photos included disturbing documents on virtual child pornography and art books of naked toddlers. Additionally, the CEO of the parent company, François-Henri Pinault, was found to own a website that sold figures of children with erect penises on their faces, allegedly as "art."

As these dark, sinister images and objects came to light, individuals who previously supported Balenciaga and Adidas have begun condemning them by destroying their clothing items in protest. However, not too many people are aware that Balenciaga is only a piece of the conglomerate known as Kering – there are other brands owned by the parent company. So if you’re a lover of luxury brands, but no longer want to support child abuse and pedophilia, here's a list of Kering's subsidiaries (and their other partnerships) that you should refrain from supporting. 

Adidas

Let’s start with the obvious. Balenciaga and Adidas collaborated in early November, the same time Balenciagate began. Their Adidas tracksuits were easily overshadowed by Balenciaga’s campaign, and it made a lot of people forget about their team-up. 

Gucci and Bottega Veneta 

In 1999, the Italian luxury brand Gucci was acquired by Pinault Printemps Redoute, which is now known as Kering today. In 2018, Gucci generated €9.628 billion in sales and is currently the group's largest brand. Gucci acquired Bottega Veneta – another Italian fashion house – for $156 million in 2001. 

Strangely (though not surprising), Gucci had a fashion campaign inspired by Stanley Kubrick's The Shining in the summer of 2022.

Alexander McQueen

Founded in 1992 by designer Alexander McQueen, the British luxury brand joined the Kering group in 2001. In 1995, McQueen held a fashion show titled Highland Rape, where models walked in torn clothing and posed in a distraught manner. While the designer says that his inspiration came from England's rape of Scotland, critics believed that he was romanticizing it instead. However, McQueen was allegedly a rape victim himself and was apparently trying to convey his trauma through his work.

Puma

Kering actually decided to spin off Puma to its other shareholders in 2018 so that it could focus on its other luxury brands, but they still own a 16% stake. Today, Puma is one of the leading sports brands in the world.

Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent is another subsidiary of Kering and is the company’s second-largest luxury brand. This year, Saint Laurent reportedly had an “outstanding” quarter, with sales being up 30%.

Maui Jim

Maui Jim was recently acquired by Kering this year. Maui Jim began in the 1980s as a small company that sold sunglasses at a beach in Maui. In 2015, it became the third-largest producer of sunglasses in the world. 

Montblanc

Montblanc sells everything from high-quality pens to bags, watches, leather goods, and glasses. Kering Eyewear does not own Montblanc, but they are partnered in the development and manufacturing of sunglasses and frames. 

Pomellato and DoDo 

Pomellato and its sister brand DoDo are fine Italian jewelry brands that claim to have an "open and environmentalist spirit." Dodo's beautiful craftsmanship with sustainable materials is certainly desirable, and it's too bad they were acquired by Kering in 2013. 

Other High-End Jewelry Brands 

The Kering group owns other brands that not too many people know about, including the Danish eyewear brand Lindberg, fine jewelry by Qeelin, and Boucheron.

Closing Thoughts 

We can’t just “cancel” Balenciaga while supporting Kering’s other brands. It’s important for us to educate ourselves on the items we buy so that we know who we’re supporting. Unfortunately, this list does not include all of the partnerships (like Balenciaga and Adidas, for example) in Kering’s subsidiaries, but we at least have the majority of the group’s clothing lines covered. So, if you’re a lover of high fashion and care about children's safety, don’t just say goodbye to Balenciaga – bid adieu to the entirety of Kering. 

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