The campaign, called 'The Jacket', reminded some of the Palestinians in the ruins of the Gaza Strip. zara said the project was filmed before the war started.
Fast fashion retailer Zara said on Tuesday it had pulled an ad after critics said it was inappropriate and reminiscent of scenes from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The subject, "The Jacket," is modeled by Kristen McMenamy and photographed by Tim Walker. In one of the photos of Mrs.McMenamy holds what appears to be a mannequin wrapped in a white cloth. In another photo, what appears to be white powder is sprinkled on the floor.
"Unfortunately, some of our customers did not like these photos," the fast fashion brand said in a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday. The agency said: "We apologize for any misunderstanding."
The company also indicated in its statement that the project was conceived in July and that it will be shot in September before October.7 Hamas attacks Israel. The campaign, which features images of unfinished sculptures in art galleries, was developed with the "sole purpose of presenting works of art in an artistic context," the company said.
The images posted on the company's Instagram page have since been taken down, but the archive can still be viewed on The Cut and Design Scene website.
Some consumers have called for the brand to be dropped because of the style. Users compared the images from the campaign to recent images taken by Palestinian war photographers of Palestinians carrying their loved ones in white body bags, sometimes painted red in blood.
In a heartbreaking photo taken by Mohammed Salem for Reuters, Palestinian Inas Abu Mamar, 36, holds the body of her 5-year-old nephew Salih, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
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Defenders of the war said the decision to launch in December was irrelevant to the war, even though it took place before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas."I'm not sure about the events that need to be done in the market," a volunteer posted on social media. "You accepted it out of ignorance."
Protesters gathered outside a Zara store in Tunisia on Monday waving Palestinian flags and chanting, according to Reuters. One of the shop windows was covered in red paint.
In another video, a small group of protesters entered what appeared to be a Zara store in Germany with their mouths taped shut, waving war photos and carrying similar items, and carrying sick children in white body bags. Some Instagram users have commented on Zara's Instagram story and other recent posts with pro-Palestinian messages.
The company has been involved in controversies before. In 2021, the company accused lead designer Vanessa Perilman of posting anti-Palestinian messages online to Palestinian model Qaher Harhash.
Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas attack was one of the heaviest in a century, with Israeli forces reporting in October that they had hit more than 7,000 targets in the stronghold. The Biden administration said this week that it is investigating reports by Amnesty International and the Washington Post that Israel has harassed the United States.US releases white phosphorus in violation of international law.