In a statement on its Instagram page, Zara said it regrets a “misunderstanding,” and said that the campaign’s sole purpose was “showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context.”
“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,” Zara said in the statement, and added that it reaffirms its “deep respect towards everyone.”
The Zara campaign, which included images of mannequins with missing limbs and wrapped in material that resembled shrouds, was condemned as highly insensitive in light of the devastation in full view in the region, where the civilian death toll, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, now exceeds 18,000.
Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority said it received 110 complaints about the Zara campaign saying the imagery referenced the war in Gaza and was offensive, according to Reuters. “As Zara have now removed the ad, we won’t be taking any further action,” the ASA said in a statement.
But it’s also the latest marketing misstep for an industry known for pushing boundaries in messaging. Last year, luxury fashion brand Balenciaga apologized for an advertising campaign that featured children holding teddy bears adorned with a fishnet top and what appeared to be bondage gear. The images also featured several papers sprawled on a desk, among them was a printout of the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibited the “pandering of child pornography.”
For some brands, advertising blunders can be lasting. Diet Coke received flak for an ad campaign in 2014 that some said mocked drug addiction. The ad included the phrase: “You’re on Diet Coke.” In 2007, a fashion spread from brand Sisley included an image of two models mimicking snorting cocaine, but instead of the drug, it’s a white dress strewn on a black reflective table. The tagline read: “Fashion junkie.”
In 2014, Zara apologized for selling a striped child’s shirt with a six-pointed yellow “sheriff” star, resembling a Star of David that European Jews were forced to sew onto their clothing under Nazi rule.
Urban Outfitters made a similar misstep in 2015, selling a striped tapestry with a pink triangle on it, reminiscent of clothing gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps. In 2014 the retailer sold a vintage Kent State University shirt with what appeared to have blood splatter on it. In 1970, the Ohio National Guard infamously fired into a crowd of students protesting the Vietnam War, killing four, in what became known as the Kent State massacre.
