Global fashion giant Zara 'regrets' ads critics said resembled dead bodies of Palestinians after protests

An ad campaign from Zara, a major fashion company chain, sparked a #BoycottZara social media push and protests outside stores for allegedly being insensitive to Gaza war victims. 

Zara released a statement, after publication, Tuesday expressing regret for the "misunderstanding" where "unfortunately, some customers felt offended" by the ads and "saw … something far from what was intended."

The campaign for the Atelier line, titled "Collection 04_The Jacket," features model Kristen McMenamy standing in front of props including mannequins without limbs wrapped in white plastic surrounded by rubble. Other models behind her were covered in dust and dressed in white.

Pro-Palestinian supporters compared the wrapped mannequins to the body bags used for Palestinians in Gaza killed in the war against Israel.

The images were first revealed on Thursday to promote the chain’s fashion line but gained new traction on Monday after people on social media began associating the mannequins with victims from the Israel-Gaza war and made #BoycottZara trend on X, formerly known as Twitter. The controversial photos have since been removed from the company’s official site.

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Demonstrators protested outside of Zara in Manhattan Monday charging the company with "genocide." Fliers given out by protesters read "Zara: Fast Fashion for Fascists."

Zara stores in several other countries are facing protests and even vandalism, according to photos and videos on social media. 

In a comment to Reuters, Inditex, the owner of Zara, insisted that the images were posted as part of its regular procedure of "refreshing content." It also explained that the design was conceived in July and the photos were taken in September. The war began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants invaded Israel and massacred over 1,000 people.

Fox News Digital reached out to Inditex for comment.

Most related images on Zara’s X and Instagram accounts have been taken down since the controversy, but others without the wrapped mannequins remain up.

Zara’s posts on "The Jacket" previously described it as "a limited edition collection from the house celebrating our commitment to craftsmanship and passion for artistic expression."

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"Garment by garment, the ZARA ATELIER re-evaluates the paradigms of fashion design in order to reinvent them. This season’s subject for the Atelier’s experiments in the creation of uniqueness was the jacket," Zara's account read. "The result is a stand-out suite of striking pieces - every one of which acts as a prism through which the singular mood and attitude of the wearer is magnified and revealed."

The company released a statement Tuesday apologizing for the images on its Instagram account.

"After listening to comments regarding the latest Zara Atelier campaign "The Jacket", we would like to share the following with our customers," the statement read.

"The campaign, that was conceived in July and photographed in September, presents a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context.

"Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created," the statement concluded. "Zara regrets that misunderstanding and we reaffirm our deep respect towards everyone."

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