Country Road has found itself at the centre of controversy after a photo from an ad campaign was blasted for being "inappropriate". Photo / Instagram
Aussie clothing company, Country Road, has found itself at the centre of a controversy after posting a photo of two young children in "provocative poses".
Usually praised for its chic, stylish advertising campaigns and pieces, the company copped significant backlash last week over the photo, which was posted to its Instagram account.
It featured two young children, a boy and a girl, relaxing on a bench and smiling in the brand's new season linen-cotton shirts.
The same two children were featured in another post last month, posed with two adults in a family-style shoot.
But their most recent photo has caused the most controversy, with some Country Road fans saying they won't be shopping at the store anymore after seeing the advertisement.
"Why do you feel the need to style kids like this? This leaves me feeling really disappointed," one person said.
Another said they had mistakenly thought the two kids were wearing "adults clothes".
"They are kids! No need to pose and style them like adults. Big NO Country Road," another wrote.
One woman said she usually loved Country Road and bought their pieces for her daughters regularly, but the image "took my breath away for all the wrong reasons".
"I do not want my daughter to be associated with an image that just doesn't look right," she wrote.
Another photo showcasing the new linen-cotton range, posted on Country Road's Instagram the same day, featured a family with two children - a boy and a girl - in the brand's shirts.
A Country Road spokeswoman, called Tayla, responded to the comments online, saying it was important for the family brand "to promote positive, age-appropriate imagery that reflects our values".
"This image is in no way intended to be provocative," Tayla wrote.
"It is designed to showcase our new-season linen-cotton shirts in a relaxed and casual context."
According to Tayla, the children were "styled in a way that reflects the relaxed design and comfortable fit" of the garments.