Witchery's creative agency Eskimo has defended the WitcheryKids campaign that has sparked controversy for the "adultification"of children.
Witchery has attracted criticism for the portrayal of children in perceived "adult" poses in its latest advertising campaign for its childrenswear range.
Eskimo, the creative agency that developed the campaign, has defended the campaign and denies either the clothing retailer or Eskimo were exploitative of children.
Eskimo director Zoe Politt told AdNews: "We believe the argument in the press is very much about 'exploitation of children'. As such, we are not surprised at the level of public comment in the press.
"We fully support our client's decision to position their brand WitcheryKids as they have done, and in our role as their creative communications agency of choice, to 100% deliver our work to that positioning brief.
"The sale of 'children's' products, and communications campaigns depicting children in association with those products, is a growing industry internationally and not unique to Australia or Witchery. We welcome the societal debate around this much wider and growing trend."
A Witchery spokesperson said: "Witchery does not support the “adultification” of children and rejects any suggestion that we would intentionally convey children in this light.
"The intention of our current campaign was to portray kids with confidence and individuality which is consistent across our brand vision, product range and our WitcheryKids Kombi van activation. The parents or guardians of the children were present at all times during the photo shoot."
The Advertising Standards Bureau said no complaints have been received about the campaign.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.