Zara issues statement after outrage over ad campaign

Following the perpetual criticism over the controversial advertisement campaign, Spanish fashion giant Zara issued an official statement on Instagram, dismissing accusations of a depiction of war-torn Gaza in their recent ad campaign. Tuesday, December 12.

Zara’s recent ad campaign, ZARA ATLIER. Collection 04-The Jacket, features a female model carrying a shrouded statue alongside mannequins without limbs, surrounded by rubble. The campaign faced backlash as netizens accused the fashion giant of depicting the destruction in Gaza caused by the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, the clothing brand has claimed, “The campaign (the jacket), which 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.”

While apologetically acknowledging the criticism, the brand told its customers that “Zara regrets that misunderstanding, and we reaffirm our deep respect for everyone.”

However, it is noteworthy that this is not the only time the Spanish fashion giant has found itself entangled in the controversy.

Zara 2021 controversy

In 2021, Zara’s head designer for the women’s department, Venessa Perilman, allegedly sent racist messages to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash on Instagram. Venessa was caught spewing anti-Palestinian rhetoric and derogatory responses to the pro-Palestinian posts by the model from occupied east Jerusalem.

Qaher shared screenshots of the conversation on Instagram, where Zara’s head designer’s message read, “Maybe if your people were educated, then they wouldn’t blow up hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza.”

“I think it’s funny that you’re a model because, in reality, that is against what the Muslim faith believes in, and if you were to come out of the closet in any Muslim country, you would be stoned to death.” She added.

The remarks elicited outrage from netizens, and hashtags calling out to boycott Zara were trending across all social media platforms.