Luxury fashion house Balenciaga erases its Instagram feed to take a stand for Iranian women

Balenciaga, the luxury fashion brand founded in 1919 by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, is making a statement by erasing its Instagram feed save for one post declaring their solidarity with Iranian women.

On Wednesday, the brand shared a blank white picture with three words on it — Woman, Life and Freedom in both English and Persian. “Balenciaga, Kering and the Kering Foundation have always supported the fight for women’s fundamental rights and freedom. We stand with all Iranian women, in memory of Mahsa,” it wrote in the caption.

Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian woman whose death shook the country. She was arrested by the morality police for breaching Iran’s strict hijab dress code and died during detention. Her death sparked protests across Iran and the rest of the world led by women mourning the deceased and standing up against the oppressive rules set for women. As an act of protest, many women cut their hair.

Asghar Farhadi, Iran’s two-time Oscar winning director, also took a stand for his fellow countrywomen. He released a video message on Instagram on September 25, urging people worldwide to “stand in solidarity” with protesters. Praising the “progressive and courageous women”, he said, “They are looking for simple yet fundamental rights that the state has denied them for years.”

American makeup artist and owner of Huda Beauty, Huda Kattan, has also been vocal about the situation. “My heart is with all the brave women in the world fighting for their rights to represent themselves, with and without hijab. It’s been heartbreaking to see women being stripped of their rights to wear hijab and now to see women being beaten to death for not wearing it. This is all oppression,” she wrote on Instagram.

At least 92 people have been killed as Iran has cracked down on women-led protests sparked, the Iran Human Rights group claimed on Sunday. Iranian security forces have been deployed at universities in several cities on Wednesday, to quell more than two weeks of protests.