Zara and the offending campaign: what does the war between Israel and Palestine have to do with it?

For better or for worse as long as it is talked about? Not this time, and not for Zadar. The Spanish giant ended up in the eye of the storm – and the boycott – for its latest advertising campaign, dedicated to the Atelier line collection. Shot by the legendary fashion photographer Tim Walker, in front of whose lens the top model Kristen McMenamy posed, the images have raised controversy and discontent at an international level: blame the setting of the photo shoot (and the related props), whose public interpretation turned the spotlight on a political and human issue. That is, the war between Israel and Hamas.

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Balenciaga finally breaks the silence on the offending campaigns

While the stars distance themselves, the brand admits its guilt in the lack of supervision of the two advertising campaigns that proved controversial. Aware of having “could have done things differently”

Arrow

Mission of the advertising campaign of the so-called Collection 04_The Jacket by Zara Atelier it was only supposed to enhance a key item in the women’s wardrobe: the jacket. As also explained in the official press release released by the brand, «Zara Atelier re-elevates the paradigms of fashion design to reinvent them». The result thus translates into a “restricted edit of six new expressions” of the jacket, ranging in tailoring techniques, materials used, function and details.

Kristen McMenamy in the campaign Collection 04_The Jacket by Zara Atelier.

COURTESY ZARA

However, what caught the attention of the social media population was not the Famming style embroidery, nor the beads or organza flounces that characterize some of the six jackets: fault of the props, i.e. statues of human bodies – whole or bust size – wrapped in semi-transparent cellophane and white fabrics that seem to recall the shrouds used on the front to give dignity to the bodies fallen in war.

Kristen McMenamy in the campaign Collection 04_The Jacket by Zara Atelier: in the background on the right an upside down triangle that would recall the map of ancient Palestine.

COURTESY ZARA

Still, an inverted triangle-shaped detail in the background would have reminded someone of the geographical map of ancient Palestine. Another piece of the puzzle, to which those who had already hurled their accusations against Vanessa Perilman in 2021 are apparently appealing: the latter, Head of Design of Zara, had come under fire because it seems she had directed words of hate at the Palestinian model Qaher Harhash, in a private social conversation. A chat that would later be spread by the same model and went viral to the point of leading to the request to boycott the brand.

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Balenciaga, the (four-figure) prices of the Couture collection are no longer a taboo

For the first time in the history of high fashion, a French fashion house publicly reveals the prices of couture dresses online. A strategic decision or yet another idea that can provoke discussion by creative director Demna?

Arrow

And It’s a boycott that we’re talking about again todaywith a petition even emerging on Change.org on Dec. 10 to request the firing of Vanessa Perilman. Meanwhile, while the other half of the social media population assumes that this is just an interpretation far from pure artistic inspiration, all is silent from the Zara group and the Instagram profiles of photographer Tim Walker and top model Kristen McMenamy.


Source: Vanity Fair

You may also like

The president of the United States
Markets
Joshua

The president of the United States

Recently, US President Donald Trump said at a press conference that his discussions with China are going well, adding that