Zara Pulls Ads and Issues Statement After Backlash to New Campaign Critics Say Evoked War in Gaza

The fast fashion brand's new Atelier campaign inspired in-person protests and calls for a boycott after critics claimed that the imagery resembled the destruction in Gaza

Zara pulled a new ad campaign after social media users and critics called out the brand, claiming that the imagery was insensitive and resembled scenes of destruction in Gaza.

The Atelier campaign, “The Jacket,” featured a set covered in rubble, as well as mannequins and statues — some missing limbs — wrapped in white tarps, screenshots of the now-deleted photos on X (formerly Twitter) show.

Critics of the campaign, which also featured an image of a model slinging one of the human-like figures over their shoulder, said they resemble photos of corpses in Gaza, Reuters reported.

After sharing the ad imagery, the fashion brand faced backlash across social media platforms, including “#BoycottZara” trending on X, per Reuters.

The same hashtag has also garnered over 30 million views on TikTok.

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Zara's Instagram has been flooded with negative comments in which activists claim that the ad campaign is “very offensive” and “mocks human tragedy and suffering.”

One now-deleted Instagram post from the brand had 45,000 likes and over 171,000 comments, mainly from people criticizing the ads and calling for a boycott of the brand, Forbes reported.

The ad also inspired offline action, including protests outside of Zara stores by some pro-Palestinian activists.

Protestors in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, chanted and waved a Palestinian flag outside of a Zara store on Monday, Reuters reported. One of the retailer’s windows was also splattered in red paint.

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On Monday, Zara pulled the campaign images from both its website and app, and has since removed them from Instagram and all other platforms, per Reuters.

Shortly after, the fast fashion brand also issued a statement on Instagram.

“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.”

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According to Reuters, critics of the ad also sought action from U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which regulates advertisements.

The ASA said it received 110 complaints about the campaign claiming the imagery was offensive and referenced the destruction in Gaza, but because the ad campaign has been removed, it “won't be taking any further action,” per Reuters.

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