Zara withdraws costume over resemblance to concentration camp clothing

The Spanish fashion chain Zara has withdrawn a children’s Halloween costume from sale after critics pointed out similarities to the clothing worn by concentration camp prisoners under the Nazi dictatorship. Zara is part of Inditex, which is listed in the EURO STOXX 50 index.

The costume, featuring blue and white vertical stripes, comprised a jacket and trousers, both deliberately distressed. It also bore prints reminiscent of barbed wire, while patches on the sleeves evoked prisoner numbers.

“The Spanish fashion chain Zara is horrifying its customers in Europe with yet another of its nightmarish ideas – a costume in the style of Nazi concentration camps,” wrote, for example, the Israeli journalist Dov Gil-Har on the platform X.

The costume is no longer available in the fashion giant’s online shop. “Zara Home regrets any misunderstanding that this children’s Halloween groom costume may have caused. It is no longer available either in our shops or online,” the company’s press office said in response to an enquiry. The company did not address why the resemblance to concentration camp uniforms was not identified during internal checks.

This is not the first time that Zara has drawn attention for products associated with Nazism. In 2014, Zara had to withdraw a blue-and-white striped children’s shirt featuring a yellow six-pointed star on the left chest. It was reminiscent of the so-called ‘Jewish stars’ that the Nazis forced Jewish people in Germany to wear to stigmatise them publicly. In 2007, a fabric bag was offered in Zara stores that was decorated with swastikas alongside floral patterns.