The campaign caused controversy when social media users highlighted its strong resemblance to images of death and destruction coming out of Gaza.
Fashion brand Zara has withdrawn an advertising campaign that featured limbless statues and mannequins wrapped in white cloth after it drew severe criticism and prompted calls for a boycott of the company.
The campaign caused controversy when social media users highlighted its strong resemblance to images of death and destruction coming out of Gaza, due to the Israeli onslaught on the enclave.
Thousands of comments criticizing the campaign flooded Zara’s Instagram page, with the hashtag #BoycottZara trending on X.
Activists are calling for boycotting Zara, here is why and this is not the first time. #BoycottZara #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/8latzLuVJI
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) December 10, 2023
In response, the Spanish company posted a statement on its Instagram page on Tuesday in which said, “The Jacket” campaign “was conceived in July and photographed in September.”
It “presents a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context,” the statement said.
“Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created,” it added.
“Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone,” it said.
The images – which also featured rocks, rubble and a cardboard cutout resembling the map of Palestine – have been removed from its social media platforms, and reportedly from its website and app home pages on Monday.
Fast fashion giant Zara is facing boycott calls after its latest campaign featured mannequins with missing limbs surrounded by rubble, which has been compared to the horrifying images emerging from war-torn Gaza. #BoycottZara pic.twitter.com/xYIw4mES5n
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) December 12, 2023
Too Little, too Late
The statement drew a slew of criticisms on its Instagram page, including “There is no explanation for such crassness. Your inhumanity is noted. We will use our feet to bypass your stores.”
Another comment said, “Okay so since September to now anyone could have made the decision to cancel the campaign once realizing how people might see similarities from the concept to current events. Not one person did. Make it make sense.”
Zara is not new to this kind of anger from pro-Palestinian voices.
In 2022, the company faced boycott calls after a franchise owner of Zara stores in Israel reportedly hosted a campaign event for the right-wing Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir in his home.
And in 2021, Zara also came under fire after one of its head designers, Vanessa Perilman, sent inflammatory messages to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash on Instagram.
At the time, Harhash had reportedly posted pro-Palestinian content on his Instagram page and it appeared Perilman responded to a post via direct message.
It is deliberate. In 2021 the head director of Zara Vanessa Perilman who is a proud zi0nist, harrassed a Palestinian model on ig for posting about palestine during an active b0mbing on Gaza 👇 https://t.co/0riThkDgr9 pic.twitter.com/utwrXVbLKs
— M (@Ma01R) December 9, 2023
A screenshot of her message to Harhash is reported to have read: “Maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza. Israelis don’t teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do.”
Zara reportedly condemned Perilman’s comments, saying: “Zara does not accept any lack of respect to any culture, religion, country, race or belief. Zara is a diverse company and we shall never tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 18,205 Palestinians have been killed and 49,645 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
