Spanish fashion retail giant Zara has come under fire from Islamists for its latest collection campaign called “The Jacket”. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian netizens have called for the boycott of the fashion brand alleging that it mocked the death of Palestinians in its latest collection.
On 7th December, Zara release pictures of its latest collection showing a model in black clothes against a white backdrop with props. The backdrop bears resemblance to a ravaged structure down in rubbles.
ZARA ATELIER. Collection 04_The Jacket
— ZARA (@ZARA) December 7, 2023
A limited edition collection from the house celebrating our commitment to craftsmanship and passion for artistic expression. https://t.co/EiUO0avB4w pic.twitter.com/Mz2x6pH7ho
Two men in complete white uniforms can be seen merging with the background and broken mannequins have been positioned differently across these set of images.
Netizens on X, formerly Twitter, have shared some images – which now appear to have been deleted amid the backlash – alleged that the images and the props used are mocking the death of Palestinians in Gaza.
One of the deleted images shows the model hold a mannequin wrapped in a white cloth with rubble at the back. Another image shows a mannequin-like structure wrapped in plastic lying on the floor.
A third image shows the same mannequin, one wrapped in white cloth, as a standalone with another mannequin. Another image has been pointed out by social media users showing a prop like a piece of rubble which they allege resembles the Palestinian map.
Several pro-Palestinian users on X, including Islamists like Majid Freeman, have likened these Zara campaign images to the scenes emerging out of Gaza amid Israeli strikes on Hamas.
X Users have compared the Zara images with the bodies of the deceased wrapped in white in Gaza, with mothers holding their children wrapped in a white cloth, and damaged buildings.
How disgusting the world we live in,
— The Witness🎖️ (@IamTheWitnessss) December 11, 2023
How disgusting humans are that,
When there is no humanity.
Please share and boycott @ZARA #BoycottZara @ZARA #TerroristIsraeliForce pic.twitter.com/9TR6MoVHsH
A page called Palestine Online shared a video of a Palestinian alleging that Zara is making fun of their people and fun of their children being killed.
Activists are calling for boycotting Zara, here is why and this is not the first time. #BoycottZara #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/8latzLuVJI
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) December 10, 2023
A video of another user is going viral where she can be heard calling for boycott of the fashion brand.
| May those who support oppression experience the same!#BoycottZara #GazaHolocaust#ImranRiazForChairmanPTI#Yemen#أبوعبيدة #BoycottZara#GazaGenocide#SherAfzalMarwat#YumnaZaidi#فلسطين_الان#StrikeForGaza#BoycottZara pic.twitter.com/1TUUgDxfNx
— Arsalan_yousaf (@Arsalan76225105) December 10, 2023
Another pro-Palestinian user said that their wardrobe is filled with Zara clothes but that they are boycotting the brand for life.
I’ve been the most devoted customer of Zara all my life.
— peace✌🏻🕊 (@Ahmad__oo7) December 11, 2023
My wardrobe is literally filled with Zara clothes.
Today I’m boycotting Zara for life.#BoycottZara #StopGenocideInGazaNow pic.twitter.com/zk9ZfheIPk
Radical, terrorism supporting Islamists like Majid Freeman have also waded in to capitalise on the boycott trend calling the Zara collection as the “Gaza genocide collection”.
.@ZARA have just released their new sickening #Gaza_genocide collection. #BoycottZARA 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/H0g17z2FBu
— Majid Freeman (@Majstar7) December 9, 2023
According to reports, the retailers asserts that the campaign is a deliberate design choice aimed at highlighting the versatality of the garment.
Amidst the boycott, an old controversy linked to Zara’s Israeli head designer has resurfaced. In June 2021, the brand’s head women’s designer Vanessa Perilman in a private chat with a pro-Palestinian model lashed out at Hamas.
Zara should not go this low!
— سحر فاطمہ (@sahar_pak5) December 11, 2023
#BoycottZara pic.twitter.com/t54Jlaoot0
The screenshot of her message, which was made viral by the pro-Palestine model Qaher Harhash, read, “Maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza.”
Her message further read, “Israelis don’t teach children to hate or throw stones at soldiers as your people do.”
In a stark reality check to the model, she wrote, “I think it’s funny that you are a model because, in reality, that is against what the Muslim faith believes in and if you were to come out of the closet in any Muslim country, you would be stoned to death.”
The model continued to share more screenshots of Perilman’s messages even as she received death threats against her children. “I am sorry if this fight started something more than it should have but now it’s getting out of control,” her message read.
“I am literally receiving death threats against by children,” she said to Harhash. She apologised to the pro-Palestinian model and deleted her social media accounts.
Vanessa Perilman is a fashion industry veteran and obtained her current position at Zara in 2015. She works as “Head Designer for the Zara Women’s Collection” in Spain.
Perilman, an Israeli, has worked with several brands including Forever 21, Club Monaco and The Donna Karan Company. She continues to stay off of social media.
Perilman was brave enough to defend her country and did not shy away in the messages from calling out radicalism among Palestinians, many of whom have openly been supporting Hamas, as can be seen in the present day in the context of the 7th October terrorist attack.
Moreover, the global fashion industry is known to experiment beyond the limits of comprehensible creativity. Tacky and weird creativity is what often draws attention to these brands and their presentation of their collection forms a key part of their selling point. It is very much likely that Islamists read into a fashion photo shoot only to bring back the Perilman controversy from the grave and attack her and the brand once again.
After Israel launched an offensive strike in retaliation to the 7th October terrorist strikes by Hamas on Israel, pro-Palestinians and Islamists around the world have called for global boycott of Israeli brands.
