Spanish clothing retailer Zara has plunged into a crisis with an ad campaign that claimed to showcase the versatility of a newly released jacket but instead ignited widespread outrage for controversial imagery reminiscent of the Gaza war.
The campaign’s central focus involved model Kristen McMenamy posing alongside mannequins swathed in white cloth and plastic.
Zara defended these visuals as a deliberate design choice to highlight the adaptability of the jacket. Via # ZaraBoycott netizens said these images were unsettling and evocative of Islamic burial attire, with bodies seemingly wrapped in white body bags. Elements such as rocks, rubble, and a cardboard cutout resembling an inverted map of Palestine intensified the controversy.
In 2021, the company faced a similar backlash when its head designer, Vanessa Perilman, sparked controversy with anti-Palestinian remarks directed at model Qaher Harhash on social media, stating, “Maybe if your people were educated, then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza.”
On social media platforms, condemnation erupted swiftly for the “The Jacket” campaign.
Here are some of the reactions:
No humanity. They have no level how cruel they are. I will never ever visit any shop or mall having #Zara products.
#ZaraBoycott pic.twitter.com/mGoMnDlQ4G— Ahad (@thisAhadd) December 10, 2023
The disgusting @ZARA advertisement is trending on Google searches. It’s good to see the public are aware of these designer brands who think they mock the huge amount of deaths of innocent civilians, particularly children. #Gaza #GazaGenocide #ZaraBoycott pic.twitter.com/idDHGBP2bf
— Intel Ops ????? (@IntelOps2) December 10, 2023
The disgusting @ZARA advertisement is trending on Google searches. It’s good to see the public are aware of these designer brands who think they mock the huge amount of deaths of innocent civilians, particularly children. #Gaza #GazaGenocide #ZaraBoycott pic.twitter.com/idDHGBP2bf
— Intel Ops ????? (@IntelOps2) December 10, 2023
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