Fashion brand Zara apologised on Tuesday, the 12th of December, for a controversial advertising campaign featuring statues wrapped in white that drew criticism from pro-Palestinian activists. The campaign sparked calls to boycott Zara as the campaign was compared to images of corpses wrapped in the Gaza Strip, reports Reuters.
“Unfortunately, some customers were offended by these images, which have now been deleted, because they showed something that was not necessarily intended when they were created,” Zara said in an Instagram post, adding that the photo’s sole purpose was to show the garment in an artistic context. Zara apologised for the “misunderstanding”, reaffirming its respect for everyone.
The hashtag #BoycottZara was trending on X (formerly Twitter).
Zara literally crossed every limit #ZaraBoycott #Gaza_Geniocide pic.twitter.com/WZ2wsb15We
— Morningstar. (@dr_aculii) December 12, 2023
This case illustrates the difficulties that global brands face when dealing with sensitive issues related to war. It is the first major Western brand to take action after criticism for insensitive advertising.
Zara explained that the campaign, which featured mannequins with missing limbs, was conceptualised in July and photographed in September, before the October conflict. It was intended to depict unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio.
Zara deleted the Atelier campaign posts from its Instagram page and its parent company Inditex has announced that the photos have been removed from all platforms.
The Atelier collection, which includes six jackets, is one of Zara’s most expensive collections. Although the campaign was removed, the jackets are still available in Zara stores.
Read also: UN marks 75 years of human rights declaration in shadow of Israel-Hamas conflict
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