Spanish apparel brand Zara is on the target of Pro-Palestinian supporters recently. The brand was on the radar of Palestinian supporters due to its latest ad campaign titled 'The Jacket', wherein a model is seen posing with mannequins wrapped in a white blanket. The Jacket is a part of Zara's Atelier series.
Social media users were dumbfounded by the campaign's similarity to the genocide that has unfolded in Gaza. They were of the opinion that Zara's marketing campaign was absolutely heartless and insensitive.
Some also pointed out that deleting the posts after the Palestinians opposed this campaign by the brand only adds salt to injury. "Boycott Zara!! Our suffering is not your aesthetic. Our dying children are not your source of inspiration. Have some shame. Some humanity," a user wrote on X formerly known as Twitter.
Another user referred to a remark reportedly made by Zara head designer Vanessa Perilman in 2021 and said that the brand should have been boycotted long back. "Zara should've been boycotted a long time ago but if you haven't already then now is the time," the user said.
In 2021, Vanessa Perilman reportedly got into an online spat with Palestinian model Qaher Harhash due to his advocacy for people living in Gaza, as per a report in NBC News. Perilman wrote to Harhash on Instagram direct message, "Maybe if your people were more educated then they wouldn't blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza."
She also said that she will never stop defending Israel and that the people in fashion industry reportedly know the truth about the Israel-Palestine conflict. "The people in my industry know the truth about Israel and Palestine and I will NEVER stop defending Israel and people like you come and go in the end," she further said.
"Israelis don't teach children to hate nor throw stones at soldiers as your people do."
"Zara's recent campaign exploiting a genocide and commodifying Palestine's pain for profit is disgusting. Shame on you brand Zara for stooping so low, prioritising greed over humanity and pretending it was harmless. Deleting posts afterwards magnifies awareness of Islam (sic)," another user tweeted.
Here are some more reactions to Zara's controversial campaign
At the time of writing this story, Zara had still not issued any statement or comment on the same. Zara, however, is not the only brand to be boycotted by pro-Palestinian consumers. They have boycotted brands that support Israel including Disney, Starbucks and McDonald's. The Walt Disney Company faced boycott calls after it pledged a humanitarian aid of $2 million to Israel following the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Starbucks has been on the radar of pro-Palestinian supporters after it disagreed with a social media post by the Starbucks Workers United showing solidarity with Palestine. McDonald's has been a target ever since it provided free meals to the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).