Vetements co-founder faces backlash after fans accuse him of getting “handsy” with Ice Spice at Paris Fashion Week [VIDEO]

A clip from Vetements’ Spring/Summer 2026 show sparks debate over boundaries, body language, and the blurred lines between art and consent in fashion.

A brief moment at Paris Fashion Week has ignited one of the season’s most heated online debates. A 63-second clip from Vetements’ Spring/Summer 2026 (SS26) event shows Ice Spice posing with Guram Gvasalia, the luxury label’s co-founder and creative director — but what begins as a typical red carpet-style photo turns into what fans are calling “handsy behavior.”

In the video, Gvasalia places both hands on Ice Spice’s waist and lower back while posing for cameras. The gestures continue for over 25 seconds — long enough for fans to take notice. While Ice Spice appears calm and professional, maintaining her posture and smile throughout, viewers interpreted the lingering contact as uncomfortable, sparking accusations of boundary-crossing and misuse of power.

The post, originally shared on X (formerly Twitter) on October 11, has since racked up millions of views. The caption reads: “Vetements luxury executive receives backlash after fans accuse him of getting handsy with Ice Spice at a recent fashion event 👀.” In replies and reposts, users accused Gvasalia of being “too touchy,” “creepy,” and “entitled,” while others defended the interaction as standard within high-fashion posing culture.

Inside the Clip: Fashion Pose or Power Play?

The moment unfolds against a gritty Vetements backdrop stamped “PRINTEMPS-ÉTÉ 2026,” with Ice Spice dressed in a sleek, backless white mini-dress — a signature silhouette for the brand. Gvasalia, dressed in his usual minimalist black leather jacket and aviators, stands behind her throughout much of the clip, positioning his hands on her waist as she faces the camera.

For context, Ice Spice, 25, is one of hip-hop’s biggest crossovers into fashion — a Gen Z figure who effortlessly blends streetwear cool with luxury appeal. Vetements, founded in 2014 by Gvasalia and his brother Demna (now Balenciaga’s creative director), has built its reputation on controversy — from subversive slogans to unconventional runway casting. But while provocation is part of the brand’s DNA, fans say this moment crossed from edgy into exploitative.

Critics online highlighted the prolonged hand placement, arguing it symbolized the casual entitlement of male executives toward women in entertainment. Others countered that Ice Spice showed no visible signs of discomfort and may have simply been following Gvasalia’s lead for a stylized shot.

Still, even neutral observers noted that the power imbalance — a high-ranking male creative director and a globally visible female artist — added a layer of unease to what might otherwise have been dismissed as a harmless pose.

The Online Explosion: “He Was Way Too Touchy”

By this morning, the clip had spread across TikTok, Threads, and Instagram Reels, becoming one of Paris Fashion Week’s most discussed moments. Reactions on X reveal a public sharply divided between outrage and indifference.

The Outrage:
Most replies centered on the visible body language and perceived over-familiarity. One user wrote, “He was way too touchy with Ice Spice here…” while another said, “Why did he keep his hands on her waist for so long?” A tweet from @kirawontmiss declaring, “Why is he touching Ice Spice like that…” went viral with over 20,000 likes and thousands of retweets.

Fans voiced broader frustration with the industry, describing it as “a place where women are props for branding.” Others invoked Mayweather-style “power imbalance” analogies, suggesting that even subtle physical oversteps deserve scrutiny when tied to corporate prestige.

The Defenses:
Not everyone saw a problem. Several commenters pointed out that posing with physical proximity is common in editorial photography, especially when promoting brand partnerships. “Let Ice Spice come out and say that,” one user argued. “Everyone’s doing too much — this is just how he poses with models.”

Others said the outrage reflected internet overreach: “Y’all obviously aren’t familiar with Guram — this is his signature direction style.” One fan even reframed the moment as a calculated Vetements marketing move: “They know controversy equals clicks.”

The Memes:
As always, humor followed heat. Users remixed the clip with boxing sound effects and captions like “Bro forgot he’s not the model” and “Hands on hips like it’s prom night.” Some joked that Gvasalia “auditioned for Munch Part 2,” while others defended Ice Spice with ironic captions like “Protect the princess of hip-hop soul from the fashion creeps.”

Consent, Optics, and Fashion’s Ongoing Reckoning

While Ice Spice has not publicly commented, her silence has only fueled speculation. Some fans interpret it as professionalism — an unwillingness to derail her growing fashion credibility — while others see it as proof of discomfort under power imbalance.

Gvasalia, 44, is no stranger to controversy. Over the years, he’s positioned Vetements as an “anti-fashion” label, often blurring the line between satire and shock. But this incident strikes a chord because it echoes broader industry issues: the normalization of invasive touch under the guise of artistic direction.

As one post put it: “Fashion loves pretending harassment is creativity.” The clip forces another conversation about whether the industry has truly learned from #MeToo-era reckonings, or whether provocative branding still shields questionable behavior behind aesthetics.

Critics point out that the power dynamic is impossible to ignore — Ice Spice is a rising global star, but Gvasalia holds institutional sway as a creative executive. His physical cues, while not overtly aggressive, read differently through that lens: what looks like guidance to one audience appears like boundary-blurring control to another.

Silence Speaks Loudly

As of this afternoon, neither Vetements nor Ice Spice has issued an official statement. The brand’s official Instagram continues promoting the SS26 collection, notably avoiding any mention of the clip. Meanwhile, fan threads have turned the silence into speculation — some arguing that the backlash itself proves the need for boundaries, others claiming the internet exaggerated a harmless pose.

Still, the public sentiment leans one way: viewers want accountability and clearer consent standards in fashion environments long accustomed to ambiguity. Whether or not this moment leads to formal fallout, it has reignited a conversation that refuses to fade — about who gets to direct bodies, who gets to define art, and where professionalism ends and discomfort begins.