A striped children's Halloween costume was removed from Zara's shelves and website on Saturday after sparking controversy that it resembled the uniforms worn by prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.
The Spanish fashion chain had been selling the item, listed as the Kids' Halloween Groom Costume, online for 39.99 pounds (60,000 won). Zara described the two-piece set as a children's costume with a vertical stripe design, decorative topstitching, a lapel flower and a distressed effect.
Critics said the stripes, faded finish and cut recalled the clothing forced on concentration camp and death camp inmates during the Holocaust. Some also pointed to sections of the print that appeared to resemble barbed wire, echoing the fencing that surrounded the camps, where millions of people died between 1933 and 1945.
"Zara Home regrets any misunderstanding that this Halloween groom children's costume may have caused. It is no longer available either in our shops or online," a company spokesperson stated.
The company did not say why its internal checks had failed to catch the resemblance.
Israeli journalist Dov Gil-Har wrote on X that the chain was "horrifying its customers in Europe" with a costume "in the style of Nazi concentration camps."
Naomi Mestrum, director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel, said the connection to the Holocaust remains painful.
"I have a lot of understanding for the people reacting with indignation. Let this be a lesson for Zara," she said.
Not all reactions were critical. Some argued the outfit was closer to the black-and-white striped suit worn by the title character in the film "Beetlejuice."
It is not the first time Zara has faced accusations of this kind. In 2014, the retailer withdrew a blue-and-white striped children's shirt bearing a yellow six-pointed star on the chest, which critics said resembled the badges Nazis forced Jewish people to wear.
In 2007, the company pulled a handbag after critics said its embroidery, set among floral patterns, contained swastikas.
yoohong@heraldcorp.com
