Spanish brand Zara has come under fire for a children's Halloween costume that, according to users, resembles the uniforms worn by prisoners at Auschwitz. The gray-blue “Kids’ Halloween Groom“ set was sold online in the UK for £39.99. The suit is no longer listed on the company's UK website.
The set consists of a vest and shorts made of cotton and polyester. Zara described it as “a children's suit with a design of vertical stripes, decorative stitching, a flower on the lapel and a worn effect“.
It is the vertical stripes, the faded color and the cut that have caused outrage among buyers. Some have said that elements of the motif resemble barbed wire - a symbol associated with the fences of concentration camps, where millions of people died between 1933 and 1945.
“I hope no one, and I mean NO ONE, buys anything from Zara again“, wrote one user. Another commented that to “complete” the Auschwitz uniform only needs to be added a number. Other buyers saw the design as more reminiscent of the famous black-and-white striped suit from the movie “Beetlejuice“.
“The Holocaust connection remains“
Naomi Mestrum, director of the Israel Center for Information and Documentation, said the association with the Holocaust remains painful.
“I have great understanding for people who react with outrage. Let this be a lesson to Zara“, Mestrum said.She did not request the item be withdrawn from sale and indicated that she did not suspect malicious intent behind the design. “If you don't carry that painful history within yourself, you don't make that association so quickly. "I don't think the average person walking through a Zara store would notice that quickly," Mestrum said.
Previous cases
This is not the first time Zara has been criticized for a design that was associated with concentration camp uniforms. In 2014, the company pulled a children's striped blouse with a star-shaped badge from sale after complaints that it resembled a camp uniform.
In 2007, Zara pulled a handbag from sale because of embroidery that critics said resembled swastikas. In the latest case, a customer who complained about a children's suit was assured: "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. We are aware of the issue and have passed it on to our internal teams to resolve it as quickly as possible." The company has not yet issued an official statement.
Sources: bTV News, Independent