{"id":34782,"date":"2023-12-13T01:53:03","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T01:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/zara-regrets-campaign-after-gaza-boycott-calls\/"},"modified":"2023-12-13T01:53:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T01:53:03","slug":"zara-regrets-campaign-after-gaza-boycott-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/zara-regrets-campaign-after-gaza-boycott-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"Zara regrets campaign after Gaza boycott calls"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LONDON: Fashion brand Zara withdrew an ad campaign featuring statues wrapped in white that sparked calls for a boycott and protests outside stores by some pro-Palestinian activists, saying on Tuesday that it regretted the \u201cmisunderstanding\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

People left tens of thousands of complaints about the campaign on Zara\u2019s Instagram account, saying the images resembled photos of corpses in white shrouds in Gaza. \u201c#BoycottZara\u201d trended on messaging platform X.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Zara\u2019s announcement illustrates the challenge for global brands navigating the sensitivities around the Gaza war. Zara is the first major Western brand to take such a drastic step after criticism for what some saw as insensitive advertising.<\/p>\n

Zara said the campaign, which also featured mannequins with missing limbs, had been conceived in July and photographed in September, before the conflict erupted in October, and was meant to show unfinished sculptures in a sculptor\u2019s studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, 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,\u201d Zara said in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n

The images were used \u201cwith the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context\u201d, it added.<\/p>\n

\u201cZara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone,\u201d Zara said.<\/p>\n

A crowd of protesters gathered in front of a Zara store in Tunisia\u2019s capital Tunis on Monday, chanting and waving a Palestinian flag, a video posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed.<\/p>\n

One of the store\u2019s display windows was splattered in red paint.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s Advertising Standards Authority said it received 110 complaints about the Zara campaign saying the imagery referenced the war in Gaza and was offensive. \u201cAs Zara have now removed the ad, we won\u2019t be taking any further action,\u201d the ASA said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Six posts showcasing the \u201cAtelier\u201d campaign were scrubbed from Zara\u2019s Instagram page, and parent company Inditex said the photos had been pulled from all platforms. Zara had already pulled the photoshoot from its website and app home pages on Monday.<\/p>\n

The \u201cAtelier\u201d collection, of six jackets, is one of Zara\u2019s most expensive, priced from $229 for a grey wool blazer with chunky knit sleeves, to $799 for a studded leather jacket. The jackets were still for sale on Zara sites.<\/p>\n

Inditex is due to report results for the first nine months of its fiscal year on Wednesday, with analysts expecting sales growth to slow slightly in the third quarter due to an unusually warm October in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n