Bad Month: Zara

Fashion retailer Zara caused a stir this month when a UK customer pointed out to staff that a handbag on sale in the store featured a swastika.

The company, owned by Spanish retail giant Inditex Group, was forced to issue an apology and to withdraw the offending item from sale immediately. The bag, which also featured flowers and bicycles, included a green swastika embroidered onto each corner. Denis Fernando, national secretary of Unite Against Fascism, described the symbol as ‘completely offensive and abhorrent to millions and millions of people’.

According to a spokesman from Zara, which has more than 1,000 stores in 68 countries, the handbag had been sourced from an Indian supplier and the symbol had not been included in the original approved design.

The swastika appears in many cultures as a symbol of peace and is a religious symbol for Hindus and Buddhists. It dates back thousands of years and often represents prosperity and good luck.

However, since the German Nazi party appropriated the design during the 1920s, the swastika has become a controversial motif in Western countries.