Fashion retailer Zara has apologised and removed a line of striped pyjamas after it was flooded with criticism on social media amid claims it resembled a concentration camp uniform.
The chain came in for heavy criticism of its striped “sheriff” T-shirt, aimed at young children.
Social media users claimed the product, which has horizontal stripes and a yellow star in the corner, was similar to the uniforms Jewish prisoners were forced to wear in concentration camps during the second world war.
The Zara design was first picked up by Middle East news website +972 magazine.
Journalist Dimi Reider wrote: “It’s a SHERIFF shirt for your three-year-old. Obviously. What else could it be?”
The Spanish-owned retailer was then roundly criticised on social media, such as Twitter.
This is rather staggering....on sale in German branches of Zara. http://t.co/u3j9ArTEQs pic.twitter.com/2P4lwBexLJ
— James Masters (@Masters_JamesD) August 27, 2014
One user, @n_rothschild, tweeted: “What were the designers thinking @ZARA?”
Another, with the username @shulnam_k, tweeted: “The new #Zara Sheriff t-shirt is somewhat #Holocaust ish in its design don’t you agree?”
James Masters, @Masters_JamesD, wrote, alongside a picture of the product, “This is rather staggering…on sale in German branches of Zara.”
The retailer apologised today (August 27) via its official account and said the shirt was no longer available.
A spokesperson for Zara’s parent company Inditex said the T-shirt had been removed from all Zara stores and Zara.com.
“The garment was inspired by the classic Western films, but we now recognise that the design could be seen as insensitive and apologise sincerely for any offence caused to our customers,” the company added.
Twitter, Zara, social media
