Zara withdraws contentious ad campaign amidst criticism of Gaza war reference
Zara's controversial ad campaign, resembling scenes of death and destruction in Gaza, has been withdrawn following immense backlash on social media Critics argue that the campaign evoked painful memories and violated sensitivities
Zara has retracted an advertising campaign after facing criticism for images that were deemed by many as evoking scenes of death and destruction in Gaza.
The advertising photos, which were shared on Zara's official social media channels, included visuals of rubble, torn plaster, and mannequins covered in plastic. One particular image, showing a model holding a mannequin wrapped in white, sparked controversy as social media users believed it resembled a corpse.
The campaign revolves around showcasing craft-made garments within an artistic context, using a series of images depicting unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio," the Spanish fast fashion retailer stated in a release shared with CNN on Tuesday.
"Regrettably, some customers found these images offensive, prompting their removal. We acknowledge the misunderstanding and reiterate our utmost respect for everyone," the company added.
The campaign was planned in July and photographed in September, before the violent attack on Israel by Hamas fighters on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities. The Israel Defense Forces has reported targeting over 22,000 sites in Gaza. The attacks have resulted in a minimum of 18,205 fatalities and over 49,000 injuries, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.
In recent days, Instagram, TikTok, and X users have been advocating for a boycott of Zara.
The Advertising Standards Authority in Britain has received 110 complaints regarding the retailer's campaign, as disclosed by a spokesperson to CNN on Tuesday. Complainants have raised concerns that the imagery in the campaign alludes to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and is considered offensive.
"Were reviewing these complaints (to emphasize, we are not currently investigating this ad) and as such we cant comment any further at this time."
One of the images from Zara's controversial ad campaign
From Zara
The image of the model holding the swaddled mannequin was taken down from Zara's official Instagram and X accounts by Monday morning, although other campaign images were still visible for most of the day. As of Tuesday morning, all the images had been removed from the company's website and social media accounts.
Zara has faced boycott calls before due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with its chief womens designer, Vanessa Perilman, sparking controversy in 2021. Perilman sent inflammatory messages to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash on Instagram, including a statement suggesting that if Palestinians were more educated, they wouldn't destroy hospitals and schools that were funded by Israel in Gaza.
Later on, Harhash shared additional screenshots of messages from Perilman. In these messages, Perilman questioned why the Palestinian model had shared the screenshots on his Instagram stories and mentioned that she had received threats against her children. Perilman expressed feeling "terrible" and "so bad" in a series of messages. "This is not who I am," she wrote, adding, "I am so so sorry. I really hope you can forgive me."
At the time, a Zara spokesperson told CNN, "Zara does not tolerate disrespect towards any culture, religion, country, race, or belief... We denounce these comments as they do not align with our core values of mutual respect, and we apologize for any offense caused." Oscar Holland and Jordan Valinsky contributed to this article.
