Cardi B lost over 100K Instagram followers after Balenciaga fashion show appearance

Cardi B has become the latest celebrity to get caught up in the scandal that is the brand Balenciaga.

On December 2, Balenciaga hosted its first show in Los Angeles which served as the backdrop for the Balenciaga Fall 2024 show against the backdrop of LA. The event drew some of the biggest names in the industry as well as several major celebrities including Ashley Graham, Kim Kardashian, and Nicole Kidman.

Also in attendance was Grammy-winner Cardi B who made her made her runway debut in stunning fashion as she turned heads rocking a blue faux fur coat.

Following her appearance, Cardi B reflected upon the event as a dream come true in a post on Instagram thanking her team for making it possible, "Yesterday was a dream! I had too much fun storming your runway!"

Cardi B caught up in Balenciaga controversy

While Cardi B might have had the time of her life at the Balenciaga Fall 2024 show, fans weren't as thrilled to see the singer teaming up to represent the brand!

Just one day after her Balenciaga Fall 2024 show appearance, Replay Poker revealed that Cardi B lost more than 130K followers on Instagram. While that might be just a drop in the bucket to the 169 million followers Cardi B has on the platform, the dip marked one of Cardi B's biggest follower losses and she's not the only star who has seen followers bounce as a result of a partnership with Balenciaga.

Kim Kardashian lost over 300k followers after making an appearance at the Balenciaga Fall 2024, while Kim's younger sister Kendall Jenner lost nearly 500K the day after the show.

Balenciaga is proving to be quite polaziring partner for celebrities

It's clear that fans are not a fan of seeing their favorite stars involved with Balenciaga be it directly partnering with the fashion brand or simply showing up to support the brand. Cardi B, Kim Kardashian, and Kendall Jenner all lost a significant number of followers the day after the Balenciaga Fall 2024 show which does not seem like a coincidence and fan backlash is understandable.

In the last decade, the brand has made a number of questionable choices with its campaigns and creative decision making.

Most recently, the brand came under fire for a pair of controversial ad campaigns. The first featued photos of child models holding handbags that looked like teddy bears in bondage attire, while another controversial campaign appeared to include documents about child pornography laws. Both campaigns created a justified controversy and firestorms leading the brand to release a public apology.

“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms,” wrote the first statement. (H/T: The New York Times)

The brand later acknowledged the second campaign in a separate statement, also shared on social media, writing, “We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign. We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photo shoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children’s safety and well-being.”

As the recent follow purges Cardi B and others have faced after the Balenciaga Fall 2024 show indicate, the brand is quite a polarizing partner.