All You Need to Know About Zara's 'Cruel' Ad Campaign That Irked Netizens

Several social media users have alleged that Zara's latest ad campaign "mocks the destruction of Gaza."

Zara faces boycott calls over its new advertisement campaign.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/Altered by The Quint)

Spanish fashion giant Zara has stirred up controversy following its latest advertisement campaign, with several social media users calling out its alleged similarities with the destruction in Gaza.

As boycott calls for the brand trend on X, several Palestine supporters accused the campaign of "celebrating the demolition of Gaza" amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Here's all you need to know about the controversy:

Zara's Controversial Ad Campaign

Zara's now-controversial advertisement campaign called 'The Jacket' is part of the brand's Atelier series, which is aimed at promoting a new collection of jackets.

The campaign features model Kristen McMenamy standing among rubble, carrying a mannequin wrapped in white cloth over her shoulders. The pictures shared by the brand for the campaign also feature a pine box, similar to a Muslim coffin, and some other mannequins with missing limbs.

Have a look:

A picture posted by Zara for the campaign that has now been deleted.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Netizens called out the shocking resemblance of the broken white concrete to the destroyed buildings in Gaza and the mannequins to the shrouded bodies of victims of Israel's indiscriminate war on Gaza, which has reportedly killed over 18,000 people so far, including thousands of children and women.

An X user also pointed out that one of the broken plasterboards in the background of the images is shaped like the map of Palestine, and the powdery white substance used resembles Israel's usage of white phosphorus in Gaza.

They wrote, "Disgusting editorial campaign by Zara was posted today featuring white shrouded bodies, limbless mannequins, broken concrete, a pine box similar to Muslim coffins, powdery substance some say is like white phosphorus + broken drywall shaped like an upside down Palestine map!"

Have a look:

(Photo Courtesy: X)

As the promotional images went viral over the weekend, several Palestine supporters urged people to boycott Zara, outraged by the brand's campaign. Consequently, Zara deleted all posts containing the objectionable images from its social media platforms but it continued to circulate the new ones till 8 December.

The fashion retailer is yet to issue a statement on the controversy.

Boycott Calls for Zara Trend on Social Media

Zara's promotional campaign has drawn over 110,000 boycott calls on X (formerly Twitter) since the fashion giant first shared the controversial images on social media.

However, this isn't the first time the brand has courted controversy. In October 2022, the firm drew criticism from people after its Israel franchise owner reportedly hosted extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir at his home.

Sharing some pictures from the campaign, Palestinian artist Hazem Harb wrote on Instagram, "There is a sinister depravity in the commercial mind that produced this ad, while we are living a real time genocide. There is no way this is not intentional. Especially when we know of Zara’s support for the Zionists. Using death and destruction as a backdrop for fashion is beyond sinister, its complicity and should outrage us as consumers. Boycott Zara."

Have a look at his post here:

Another user wrote on X, "@ZARA’s new marketing campaign uses designs inspired by the ongoing genocide in Gaza to promote a new collection. coffins, destruction, corpses, and glorifying killing. Zara faced boycott calls a year ago after its hosted their local agent the Israeli leader with a thirst for killing Palestinians and Arabs, Itamar Ben Gvir, at an election event."

(Photo Courtesy: X)

Have a look at some other reactions here:

(Photo Courtesy: X)

(Photo Courtesy: X)

(Photo Courtesy: X)

(Photo Courtesy: X)

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, several Palestinian groups also urged the boycott of some of the biggest multinational companies, including McDonald’s, Starbucks, Puma, Google, Disney, and Amazon, as part of their BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement.

(With inputs from The Indian Express, The New Arab, and Arab News)

Zara's Reaction to the Controversy

After receiving strong backlash against their campaign, Zara issued an official statement on social media on 12 December. The fashion retailer also took down all the pictures related to the campaign from their social media handles.

The statement read, "After listening to comments regarding the latest Zara Atelier campaign 'The Jacket', we would like to share the following with our customers: 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. Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone," it further added.

Have a look at their post here: