Tim Walker is the photo.
The recent campaign for the Spanish fast-fashion brand, called "Zara", has caused a backlash with consumers drawing parallels between the ads and the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The photo shoot was released on December 7th, and features a series of images in which the model poses in front of a workspace filled with empty boxes and destroyed walls. There is a lot of debris around her, some of which are missing limbs and some of which are wrapped in white cloth. Other models around her are covered in dust. There are parallels between the fashion ad and the images we have seen out of Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel and Israel's subsequent retaliation campaign. A picture of a mother hugging a dead child while wearing a white cloth body bag has gone international. Even if it was a mistake, you aren't aware enough of current affairs to work in marketing. Lubna Hamdan, a Dubai-based editor, asked if there would be consequences to the campaign when it came to its franchises in the Middle East.
I don't believe anyone in branding or marketing saw the wrapped statue in the photo shoot and didn't think of it. This image is very strong.
One person said they wouldn't buy anything fromZARA again.
Will the campaign against its franchises in the Middle East have any consequences? Lubna Hamdan reported on December 11, 2023.
I will not buy anything fromZARA again. Tima Elhajj posted on December 11, 2023.
From top left: Photo: Tim Walker, courtesy of Zara
The Cut reported on Monday that the campaign was conceived in July and was not intentional. Some customers felt offended by the images of unfinished sculptures in the studio which have now been removed.
Tim Walker has yet to speak out.
Walker, the campaign's photographer, has yet to make a public statement regarding this most recent controversy. The creator of fashion content ly.as0 stated that he believed the photos were not made in reference to Gaza. The work in progress, the rubble, and the overall idea of destruction were all part of his brand for decades, but someone in his team should have thought of that before releasing them.
A photographer named Tim Walker, who is also known as Tim Walker, has been receiving some ire on his social media accounts, so he made a statement emphasizing that he is not the photographer involved in the shoot. He wrote, "please head to that account to make your voices heard regarding the ill-advised and sensitive campaign which is causing such controversy."
This isn't the first time that Zara has caused controversy.
Palestinian model Qaher Harhash was harassed by a designer after he voiced his support for Gaza. She wrote that if your people were educated, they wouldn't blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza.
The people in my industry know the truth about Israel and Palestine and I will never stop defending it. After the messages went public, she apologized to Harhash, writing, "I am so sorry, I really hope you can forgive me."
Inditex, the parent company of Zara, condemned the comments but did not say whether any action had been taken. The website is protected by reCAPTCHA and the terms of service apply.