Zara's sorry-not-sorry apology makes its latest ad controversy even worse

Zara is no stranger to controversy in its ad campaigns. Remember that dress? However, the latest blunder is a lot more serious and has even led to calls for a boycott of the Spanish clothing brand.

Dubbed “The Jacket", the latest Zara campaign featured the model Kristen McMenamy posing with statues with missing limbs, surrounded by rubble. It would be a curious approach at any time, but many observers thought it was in very bad taste considering the conflict currently ongoing in Gaza. It seems the brand is determined to make it into the select group of the most controversial adverts created.

The hashtag #BoycottZara began trending on X at the start of the week after several users made side-by-side comparisons of shots from the campaign with images that have appeared in the news amid Israel's incursion into Gaza, where nearly 18,000 people have been killed.

One image in Zara's campaign showed McMenamy carrying a mannequin covered by a white cloth, which some have compared to the way bodies are wrapped in white in Islamic tradition. In other shots, she poses surrounded by rubble, inside coffin-like boxes or surrounded by statues with missing limbs.

The 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." Over on X. people accused the brand of mocking the victims of the conflict.

Zara has removed the images following the outcry, which led to protests at some of its stores. However, the wording of its statement on the matter didn't do much to make amends. After explaining that the campaign showed "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", it appears to put the blame on consumers for misunderstanding its intentions.

"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," it said. "Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone."

" 'Some customers felt offended' is the same as saying, 'I'm sorry you feel that way, but too bad'," one person responded on Instagram. "Also, even if you apparently 'shot these months ago,' it's very great timing on your behalf to have released the photos when you did.

The gaffe serves as another example of how sensitive brands need to be when playing with 'edgy' campaigns. Even if the campaign was created some months ago, a brand of this size should normally be paying close enough attention to the evolving international context for someone to notice if the time might not be right to run something, or even if a campaign should be scrapped altogether.

For more successful advertising inspiration, see our pick of the best print ads of all time.