Dark Company Secrets Revealed By Former Balenciaga Employee

1. Elitist culture

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Balenciaga had a plan from the offset according to one employee. Focus on fashion with high prices to make them inaccessible for many people. This then perpetuates an elitist culture in the industry and creates social inequality that they believed would help them grow their brand.

2. Unjustifiably high costs

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Where fast fashion does bring a lower cost to the end customer, Balenciaga were staying in their lane with expensive manufacturing and production costs, which ultimately lead to higher retail prices. Where many cant justify the cost as a consumer, Balenciaga wanted to focus on the customers who didn't even look at the cost.

3. Disregard for the environment

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In general sustainability and environmental concerns in the fashion industry are becoming increasingly urgent, with many brands under scrutiny for their impact on the planet. Some have suggested that this particular brand might not be following the rest, time will tell!

4. Wasted resources

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Balenciaga are always on the prowl and flaunting new designs to their customers. This comes due to the pressure to constantly innovate and create new collections. One disgruntled employee suggested that the public have no idea of the amount of wasted resources, which is unsustainable and harmful to the environment.

5. Counterfeit goods

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Have you ever thought that counterfeit goods come from the same place as the 'legit' stuff? Ex-employees have suggested that because counterfeit goods pose a significant challenge to high-end fashion brands, Balenciaga got ahead of the game and sell from both sides!

6. Disregard for human rights

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Ever think about the supply chain of the clothes? A sneaky insider at Balenciaga made comments that the exploitation and the lack of ethical concerns are far from documented correctly. Maybe more scrutiny should go into the human rights, or lack of, in these big brands.

7. Body shaming

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Why does Balenciaga only seem to fit a certain style and size or person? Apparently this high end fashion brand doesn't think about inclusivity when styling their products and want to keep their appearances to a specific niche. The inequality grows even further!

8. Alienate certain employees

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We're not sure what to think of this one - an ex shop-floor assistant who was very close to the brand was aware that they were specifically trying to alienate many people, so the elitist culture surrounding their brand would grow. Maybe this happens more than we are aware?

9. Firing employees

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Churn, in all senses, happens just as much in Balenciaga than anywhere else. Because of the need to innovate and keep up with trends, they'll hire and fire people on a whim to make sure they are keeping up with the latest and greatest to bring new ideas.

10. Keeping staff on their toes

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Sticking with churn, Balenciaga were confronted about their lack of stability. With no comments, and some insider scoop, it appears that they try to keep an air of unsettledness and anxiety to 'keep people on their toes'. Surely the high end brands can still look after their own?

11. Copyright loopholes

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You see it all too often, smaller brands bring out an eye catching design or collection and then next minute the big brands have the same and squash the little brand. It was let slip by a designer, that Balenciaga are aware of certain loop holes on trademark and copyright laws, that allows them to copy designs

12. Gate keeping

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The impact of globalisation on the fashion industry has led to increased competition, as well as challenges in managing an international supply chain. Balenciaga smash everyone out the water by ensuring their supply chain is locked off to them. Monopoly in the making.

13. Dodgy deals

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The high cost of marketing and advertising campaigns can be difficult to justify for some brands, particularly those with limited resources. But in this arena, Balenciaga have been reported to make some dodgy deals and handshakes to get the best in marketing real estate.

14. Forcing celebrities into situations

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At what length should a brand go to use a celebrity as an endorsement. In some cases this particular brand have used their financial power to hold celebrities to wearing their clothes in specific situations, and forcing them to dress exactly as they say.

15. Influencers gone wrong

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Social media influencers can be great, but not when they are used to influence those in certain positions. One influencer has said they were asked to focus on a specific group of people, knowing full well they were navigating a digital landscape that would cause uproar by the brand.

16. Wear + throw culture

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Fast fashion is known for wear and throw culture, but according to one fashion designer who works on some of the shows at Balenciaga, the idea of disposability is just the same and undermines the value of the clothing that people pay - as long as they are getting paid, it doesn't look like they care!

17. Fabricated history

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Heritage is usually grown over time, and grows as brands follow different market trends. Some of the marketing team at Balenciaga were asked to force their way into the history books, making up stories of where the brand came from, to fabricate the brands heritage.

18. Throwing dirt on other brands

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Smaller brands have to start from the ground up with new launches, SEO, marketing, working with other brands - according to an ex-employee report which looked at the go to market strategy at this high end fashion brand, said they would pay certain agencies to leave bad reviews on some of the competitors.

19. Cutting worker's costs

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You'd think non-essential items during time of economic hardship would mean a downswing for brands like Balenciaga right? Because of the hype and the die hard fans, an insider on the production line commented that Balenciaga often turned to cutting costs on the workers essentials, instead of supporting them.

20. No employee breaks

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Fashion and technology don't usually go in the same conversation, but for brands like Balenciaga, they would ensure they have all the latest technological tools to stay ahead of the game - however with the 24/7 maintenance of some of these systems, workers were said to not take a break when working shifts lasting as long as 28 hours.

21. Cheap labour

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The tension between creativity and commercial viability in the fashion industry can be a problem, as designers balance the need to create innovative designs with the need to create commercially viable products. Balenciaga get around this issue by locking their teams down and making sure they produce the goods with cheap labour.

22. Creating conspiracy

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Balenciaga have been all over the news for appropriating cultural symbols and designs - this has been a problem with high end fashion brands for many years, but Balenciaga appear to use this as a shocking way to stay relevant. One insider said this is all part of the plan!

23. Exclusivity

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The world is diverse and many brands now ensure to focus on bringing in different cultures to represent them in the fashion media. But if you check out Balenciaga youll see something very different. Their internal team of recruiters have made comment about this and the way they are told to hire!

24. Long working hours

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The pressure to produce seasonal collections at a fast pace can be difficult to manage, particularly for smaller brands with limited resources - Balenciaga on the other hand use this to their advantage by churning out collections. The problem with this is, they force their workers to commit every day and night to churning these items out.

25. Stolen ideas

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The difficulties of managing multiple product lines and brand extensions can be complex and time-consuming, so Balenciaga use this to keep on top of the game by increasing their product lines and covering all the ideas that other brands could try to imagine. But the ideas, well, they might be coming from people outside of Balenciaga is all we can say!

26. Hypnotic following

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The idea of fashion changes very quickly and they follow different social and cultural trends - Balenciaga flood the market with media content and coverage, following a form of hypnotic like following. Apparently they have a play book on how to get every dollar from their clients.

27. Sustainability

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Sustainability and profitability are two aspects all brands needs to get right but Balenciaga have found a way that they can up their profits, without having to even consider the sustainability of their products - according to one ex-employee they would have certain deals in place, and 'buy their sustainability' with the profits they make. How does that work?!

28. Demonic symbols

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Balenciaga ad's have sparked outrage due to their symbols and imagery. Devil worship is another theme that has been spotted several times. There have been children's drawings of the devil, black hoods resembling satanic cults and much more. Coincidence or not? You decide.

29. Child abuse

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Images directly alluding to sexual exploitation of children. Examples include BDSM teddy bears and tape reading "BAALENCIAGA". In case you don't know, baal is a satanic lord linked to child sacrifice. A Michael Borreman book has been featured in ads, which are riddled with disgusting themes, known for depicting naked children.

30. Cheap materials

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Balenciaga products are advertised as luxurious and high end. However, the reality is that their materials really are no different to cheaper alternatives on the market. The only difference is the markup prices. For example, have you seen their blue tote bag and thought it looked familiar?