Francesca
When fashion fails This morning I turned on the television and, while I was having breakfast, a news drawed my attention. ZARA, one of the most popular cheap fashion brand which is present all over the world, put up for sale a sceriff's shirt that reminds the ones weared by Jewishes in Nazi lagers. So disturbing. It is a striped shirt with a six pointed star very similar to the worst uniform of history. This item was also distributed in Israeli shops, and this fact has clearly generated a lot of polemics. Personally, I'm just wondering how could be possible that such a considerable group of creatives, employed in ZARA, wouldn't have realized this creepy similarity before putting that shirt on the market. I believe it was just a bad marketing strategy to outstand and get off a word of mouth. Did you hear about that? And do you think that advertising and marketing systems must fix some limits or everything is allowed?
Aug 28, 2014 9:06 AM
Corrections · 4

When fashion fails

This morning I turned on the television and, while I was having breakfast, a news story drew my attention.  ZARA, one of the most popular cheap fashion brands <em>(which is present all over - or simply)</em> in  the world, put up (or 'offered') for sale a sheriff's shirt that is reminiscent of the ones worn by Jews in Nazi concentration camps <em>(and ghettoes?)</em>. So disturbing.

It is a striped shirt with a six pointed star very similar to the worst uniform in history. This item was also distributed in Israeli shops, and this fact has clearly generated a lot of polemics <em>(could also say 'backlash')</em>.

Personally, I'm just wondering how it could be possible that such a (considerable group of creatives? or) creative group of designers, employed by ZARA, wouldn't have realized this creepy similarity before putting that shirt on the market. I believe it was just a bad marketing strategy to outstand astound and get publicity by off a word of mouth. <em>(sorry if I changed the meaning)</em>

Did you hear about that? And do you think that advertising and marketing systems must set some limits or should everything be allowed?

 

No, I haven't heard about this.  But nothing really suprises me anymore.  I thought that maybe it was a hoax so I checked out Snopes -http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/zara.asp.  It seems like the public backlash was strong enough to stop the product.  But as you say, it was probably for the publicity.  

August 30, 2014

Hello Francesca,

I read yesterday about this news and I got first shocked and amazed: how was it possible that an international group like Zara could commit such a gaff?

I read also that, a few years ago, the same mark released a bag on which a swastika could be identified.

I immediately thought: it is too much! Marketing must be imposed some limits!

However, although we have known many “extravagant commercials”, this case seems different. Rather than a promotion, perhaps here the explanation steams from the globalized character of the company in question.

I explain myself better: we have to image that Zara's creators come from all around the world. Now, for a Korean or, let's say, for a Chinese, certain symbols don't have the same value as for a European or North-American.

The result is that where I shiver because I see a David star on a deported uniform, another person in the world can maybe innocently see I sheriff's star on a shirt with stripes. Or, instead of the Nazi symbol, he can just see an ancient sign as it could be for us the Taoist Yin and Yang.

What I'm trying to say is that some symbols, images and words disturb us, as they disturb any other European. And it must be like that. It is right, obvious. Because they carry us to dramatic periods of our recent history that we wouldn't see anymore. And, of course, Zara failed since it didn't check a product before its release.

On the other hand, we (I first) should not forget that the world is not limited to Europe and USA; that other people have a different background and historical memory. And, as a consequence, what shocks on a side can be neutral or even positive on the other side.

Un saluto/ See you

August 28, 2014
Want to progress faster?
Join this learning community and try out free exercises!