Talk:Demna (designer)

Fled due to the civil war?

How can he have fled from the civil war, when the civil war happened when he was 10-12 years old?

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How can one add a CONTROVERSY header

There is nothing listed about the controversy with Balenciaga Cc3014 (talk) 02:55, 3 December 2022 (UTC)

Work in progress AtticusFR25 (talk) 10:28, 27 June 2025 (UTC)

Controversies section: request for consensus and inclusion

Hello,

I've tried to include a section titled "Controversies" in this article, documenting two widely reported episodes involving Demna: 1. Allegations of plagiarism by artist Tra My Nguyen, covered by CNN. 2. The 2022 Balenciaga ad campaign scandal involving children, for which Demna explicitly apologized in The New Yorker and other outlets.

This section has been repeatedly removed by User:LeontinaVarlamonva, who claims that: - The company (Balenciaga) and the individual (Demna) should not be conflated. - The plagiarism case refers to Balenciaga and not Demna personally. - The campaign scandal should not be tied to Demna, despite his role as creative director.

However, these removals overlook several facts: - As Balenciaga’s **creative director**, Demna **directly oversees** and **publicly defends or apologizes for** the campaigns in question (cf. *The New Yorker*, March 2023). - The CNN article clearly links the plagiarism allegations to Demna’s leadership and design team, which he leads. - Reliable sources including CNN, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and Newsweek have extensively reported on these topics, making them notable and relevant for inclusion.

Here is a neutral draft version of the section (open to discussion, tone adjustment, or merging):

Controversies

Plagiarism

Many artists accuse Demna of using their work without their permission and of appropriating their work without any legitimacy.

In 2017, music producer Swizz Beatz accused the brand of copying the “R” logo used by hip-hop collective and label Ruff Ryders. A collection’s logos were widely compared to that of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign – Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia denied that Sanders had been his inspiration.

In 2020, the artist Tra My Nguyen accused the brand of using their portfolio, which a recruiter had previously requested, without further contact or permission. Both the designer and Balenciaga denied the allegations, citing past artists who have used "everyday objects" as inspiration in their art.

Ad campaign involving children scandal

On November 16, 2022, Balenciaga released an online "Gift Shop" advertising campaign featuring young children with dilated pupils holding teddy bears dressed in bondage and BDSM gear, amidst empty wine glasses and champagne flutes. A few days later, a link was made between this campaign and another simultaneous Balenciaga campaign, "Garde-Robe" in collaboration with Adidas. The "Garde-Robe" campaign featured a photograph of a bag placed on a Supreme Court document on the child pornography, and two other props linked to pedophilia.

On November 16, 2022, Balenciaga released an online "Gift Shop" advertising campaign featuring young children with dilated pupils holding teddy bears dressed in bondage and BDSM gear, amidst empty wine glasses and champagne flutes. A few days later, a link was made between this campaign and another simultaneous Balenciaga campaign, "Garde-Robe" in collaboration with Adidas. The "Garde-Robe" campaign featured a photograph of a bag placed on a Supreme Court document on the child pornography, and two other props linked to pedophilia. .

Creative director Demna Gvasalia apologized. In March 2023, he stated "I didn't see the creepy part of it. But it's obvious now", "It was […] a stupid mistake".

I am seeking consensus here to avoid further edit warring and ensure the article complies with WP:NPOV, WP:DUE, and WP:RS. Input from uninvolved editors would be much appreciated.

Thanks. AtticusFR25 (talk) 09:52, 27 June 2025 (UTC)

There's nothing "neutral" about sensationalized content you keep inserting. Taking select incidents and making it say "many artists" even though few people that nobody knows made isolated claims. Also you refuse to understand that Balenciaga (company) and Demna (artist) are not one and same. Scandal involving Balenciaga is not necessarily Demna's personal responsibility and some things you cited here don't even mention him. You can include this so called scandal on Balenciaga page if you think is relevant but repeatedly inserting it here with so much information is undue.

I'm clearly sensing Wikipedia:Conflict of interest and Wikipedia:Single-purpose account. You should stop this. Controversy section already address plagiarism allegation with amount of information that it merits.--LeontinaVarlamonva (talk) 00:22, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

Thank you for your response.

In keeping with Wikipedia's guidelines on neutrality and the use of reliable sources, I believe the following content is valid and should be considered:

1 Plagiarism

1.1 Swizz Beatz and Ruff Ryders label

Information supported by two secondary sources

"Swizz Beats Calls Out Balenciaga For Ripping Off THIS Design". Allure. 26 June 2017.

"Swizz Beatz Accuses European Fashion Brand Balenciaga of Ripping Off Ruff Ryders Logo". Atlanta Black Star

1.2 Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign logo

This section is based strictly on reliable sources:

• CNN: “Graduate fashion designer accuses Balenciaga of appropriation”, July 26, 2020.
• Vanity Fair: “Bernie Sanders Got a Tribute at Paris Fashion Week”, January 18, 2017 https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/01/bernie-sanders-balenciaga-tribute-paris-fashion-week

1.3 Artist Tra My Nguyen

Again, the content is taken directly from:

• CNN: “Graduate fashion designer accuses Balenciaga of appropriation”, July 26, 2020

These sources meet Wikipedia's standards for notability and reliability.

----

2. Ad campaign involving children scandal

Demna, as the artistic director of Balenciaga, was widely held responsible by major media outlets. His own statements across multiple reliable sources support this. I have strictly limited the section to verifiable public apologies made by Demna himself.

2.1 December 2, 2022 – Instagram statement

“I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids and I take my responsibility.”

Sources:

• Reuters, “Balenciaga Designer, CEO Apologize for Ad Campaign Featuring Children”, December 2, 2022 https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/balenciaga-designer-ceo-apologize-ad-campaign-featuring-children-2022-12-02
• The Guardian, “Balenciaga Designer Sorry for ‘Inappropriate’ Campaign Featuring Children”, December 3, 2022 https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2022/dec/03/balenciaga-designer-demna-apologises-for-inappropriate-campaign

2.2 February 9, 2023 – Interview with Vogue

“This is where my error comes in. That was my big mistake.” “It unfortunately was the wrong idea and a bad decision from me.” “This was an error of judgment. I regret this a lot.” “I had to think about what was wrong with my judgment.”

Source: “Demna on the Record: The Balenciaga Designer on the Brand’s Controversy and His Path Forward”, Vogue, February 9, 2023

https://www.vogue.com/article/demna-addresses-balenciaga-controversy

2.3 March 2023 – Interview with The New Yorker

“Demna and Balenciaga have apologized repeatedly for the ad campaigns.” “I didn’t see the creepy part of it,” Demna told me. “But it’s obvious now.”

Source: “The Button-Pushing Impresario of Balenciaga”, The New Yorker, March 27, 2023

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/27/balenciagas-button-pusher

I am happy to collaborate further to ensure all material adheres to Wikipedia’s content standards and sourcing policies. Thank you again for your input. AtticusFR25 (talk) 09:08, 30 June 2025 (UTC)

He was creative director, so it made sense he apologized for it as he is figurehead of company's artistic direction. That does not meant that literally everything that happened was necessarily personally his fault. Because of this, mention of this incident and apology is appropriate but anything beyond few lines is undue and too senationalized.--LeontinaVarlamonva (talk) 03:53, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

References