Embroiled in controversy and facing severe backlash over its recent series of photographs, Spanish fashion brand Zara “regretted” what it called a “misunderstanding” after users called out the company for its ‘insensitive posts’ amid the prevailing situation in Gaza.
The campaign – part of Zara’s Atelier series called ‘The Jacket’ – featured photos of a model pictured carrying a mannequin wrapped in white, while another featured a mannequin without arms.
Critics said they resembled photos of corpses in white shrouds in Gaza and prompted calls by some pro-Palestine activists for a boycott of the fashion retailer.
Spanish fashion brand Zara faces backlash over Instagram posts ‘depicting Gaza devastation’
On a statement issued on Instagram, the brand said that the campaign in question was conceived in July and photographed in September.
It further explained that the series of images shown was set to showcase “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 regrets the misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone,” concluded the note.
The statement, however, fell short of an apology as many users pointed out, and that has led to further criticism of the brand.
Users are questioning why the campaign was allowed to run in the first place, in the aftermath of the devastation in Gaza.
Others kept up the call to boycott the brand.
On Monday, following a few days of criticism, Zara pulled the campaignfrom the front page of its website and app.
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.
Inditex is due to report results for the first nine months of its fiscal year on Wednesday, with analysts expecting sales growth to slow slightly in the third quarter due to an unusually warm October in Europe, added Reuters
The Israeli aggression in Gaza has so far killed over 18,000 people and wounded nearly 50,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry.