Key Points
- Zara has been criticised for an advertising campaign that drew comparisons to images from the Hamas-Israel war.
- The campaign's photos feature mannequins wrapped in white, imagery which some said resembled a Muslim burial shroud.
- The Spanish fashion brand faced boycott calls and protests outside stores in response to the campaign.
Spanish fashion brand Zara has faced boycott calls and protests outside stores in recent days over an advertising campaign that drew comparisons to images coming out of the Hamas-Israel war.
In one of the photos, a model is pictured carrying a mannequin wrapped in white. Others feature a mannequin with no arms, and a bust lying on the floor.
Tens of thousands of comments were left on Zara's Instagram account, criticising the campaign and saying the images resembled photos of corpses in white shrouds in Gaza. It is Muslim custom to wrap dead bodies in white cloth before burial.
The advertising campaign for Zara's Atelier collection featured mannequins shrouded in white sheets. Source: Instagram
Zara said at the launch of the Atelier collection on 7 December that it was inspired by men's tailoring from past centuries. The photos appear to show an artist's studio with ladders, packing materials, wooden crates and cranes, and assistants wearing overalls.
Zara shot the campaign before Hamas' 7 October attack on Israel, the latest escalation in a long-running conflict. Source: Instagram
How did Zara respond to the criticism?
Six posts showcasing the Atelier campaign were scrubbed from Zara's Instagram page. Parent company Inditex said the photos had been pulled from all platforms.
Zara had already removed the photos from its website and app home pages on Monday. Inditex said the change to Zara's website and app home pages was part of its normal procedure of refreshing content.
Zara then released a statement via social media on Tuesday saying it regretted the "misunderstanding" over the images.
It said the campaign had been conceived in July, photographed in September, and was meant to show unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio.
"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 an Instagram post.
The images were used "with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context", it added.
"Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone."
Britain's Advertising Standards Authority said it had received 110 complaints about the Zara campaign, saying the imagery referenced the Hamas-Israel war and was offensive.
"As Zara have now removed the ad, we won't be taking any further action," it said in a statement.
Which other companies have faced boycotts over the Hamas-Israel war?
Since its founding in 2005, the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has called for the boycott of companies linked to the Israeli government.
Those calls have grown stronger and expanded to more firms and products since the recent escalation in the long-running conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas' 7 October attack in which more than 1,200 people were killed, according to the Israeli government, and over 200 hostages taken.
since 7 October, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
Some pro-Palestinian campaigners have singled out coffee chain Starbucks for suing its workers' union over a post on the Hamas-Israel war, and McDonald's after its Israeli franchise said it gave free meals to military personnel.
Anti-Israeli stickers were plastered on the front doors and red paint was sprayed on the walls of an outlet of McDonald's and Starbucks in Melbourne last month after a pro-Palestinian rally.
Puma has also been a target of the BDS movement over its sponsorship of Israel's national football team.
On Tuesday, the German sportswear firm announced it would end the sponsorship.
"While two newly signed national teams — including a new statement team — will be announced later this year and in 2024, the contracts of some federations such as Serbia and Israel will expire in 2024," said the spokesperson in an emailed statement.
The decision was taken in 2022 as part of Puma's new "fewer-bigger-better strategy" and was in line with the regular timelines for designing and developing team jerseys, the spokesperson added.
