Zara, a Spanish luxury fashion brand, there was quite a naïve chance of how a genocide would be used by the creatives of this brand for a campaign theme. What are the odds?

The analogy for the Gaza massacre appears to be more of a horrific marketing plot than a humane concern for the genocide that continues killing thousands, among a disheveled heap of corpses waiting to be buried.

After social media users and critics criticized the brand, Zara withdrew a new ad campaign, citing inappropriate images that mimicked scenes of destruction in Gaza.

Screenshots of the now-deleted images from the Atelier campaign, “The Jacket,” launched on December 7, showed a set littered in debris, along with mannequins and statues—some missing limbs—wrapped in white tarps.

The campaign’s detractors claimed the images, which also included a model carrying one of the human-like figurines over their shoulder, resembled images of bodies from Gaza, according to Reuters.

Following the release of the advertisement, the fashion brand saw criticism on social media, with “#BoycottZara” becoming popular on X, according to Reuters. Additionally, the same hashtag has received almost 30 million views on TikTok.

In a deluge of critical remarks, activists accuse Zara’s ad campaign of being “very offensive” and one that “mocks human tragedy and suffering” on Instagram.

A now-deleted Instagram post from the company received 45,000 likes and more than 171,000 comments, the majority of which were critical of the advertisements and demanded a boycott of the company, according to Forbes.

A few pro-Palestinian activists staged protests outside Zara stores as a result of the advertisement.
On Monday, Reuters reported that demonstrators in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, hoisted a Palestinian flag and chanted outside of a Zara store. Additionally, a red paint spatter covered one of the retailer’s windows.

Zara steps the campaign down

The fast-fashion brand also posted a statement on Instagram on December 13, shortly after the backlash.
“After listening to comments regarding the latest Zara Atelier campaign “The Jacket”, we would like to share the following with our customers,” the statement began.

“The campaign, that was conceived in July and photographed in September, presents a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of 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,” the statement concluded. “Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone.”

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which oversees advertising in the United Kingdom, was reportedly contacted by the ad’s critics.

The ASA stated that it received 110 complaints on the campaign, alleging that the imagery was offensive and made reference to the devastation in Gaza. However, because the campaign has been taken down, the ASA “won’t be taking any further action,” as reported by Reuters.

The damage repair by Zara

Inditex reported a 13.5% growth in sales and a 40% increase in net profit for the first half of the year.
Inditex’s sales increased 14% in local currency between November 1 and December 11, 2011, indicating a strong start to the holiday shopping season. During the critical Black Friday week, Zara offered 40% off.

However the mess by the ad seems to be hovering over the fashion brand with the holiday season right on the door.

The campaign, according to the business, was created “solely to present handmade garments within an artistic setting.” It further stated that critics “interpreted them in a manner far from their original intent,” misinterpreting the visuals. The collection of jackets in the ad campaign featured images labeled as “unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio.”

Additionally, it reaffirmed its “deep respect towards everyone” and apologized for the “misunderstanding”.

The largest clothing company in the world, Inditex, is based in Spain and owns Zara. According to AFP, Indidex briefly stopped its 84 Zara stores in Israel when the Gaza War broke out and did not say how long.

Zara’s parent company, Inditex, revealed to Forbes that the campaign was started in July and the images were shot in September—prior to the start of the most recent round of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October.

Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip with artillery ever since Hamas militants broke through the border on October 7 and killed 1,200 people, the most of whom were civilians.

More than 17,700 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, the bulk of them civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is managed by Hamas.

Posts criticizing the advertisements for trivializing the destruction, along with images of the Palestinian flag and boycott requests from pro-Palestinian supporters, deluged the company’s social media accounts.