Zara abandons ‘concentration camp’ shirt
International retailer Zara has dropped a piece of clothing from its children’s line after it drew comparisons to the Jewish uniforms worn at concentration camps in Nazi Germany.
The blue-and-white striped shirt, bearing a yellow star on the left side of the chest, has been pulled from three online stores after several newspapers and Twitter users highlighted the similarity.
The new #ZARA Sheriff T-Shirt is somewhat #Holocaust ish in its design don’t you agree? http://t.co/PY9RymfTc4 pic.twitter.com/EdQMghaXO8
— Shulman (@shulman_k) August 27, 2014
“The shirt bears a large six-pointed star on the upper-left section, in the exact place where Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David,” Israeli newspaper Hareetz wrote.
A representative for the massive fashion chain has apologised for the incident and said any resemblance was unintentional.
“The item in question has now been removed from all Zara stores and Zara.com,” a spokesperson representing Zara’s parent company Inditex said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The garment was inspired by the classic Western films, but we now recognise that the design could be seen as insensitive and apologise (sic) sincerely for any offence caused to our customers.”