(JTA) — A luxury fashion house based in Spain removed an outfit that closely resembled concentration camp uniforms from the Holocaust.
The striped pantsuit was removed from the Loewe website on Friday and the company issued an apology.
The outfit, which was being sold for $1,840, was part of a capsule collection inspired by the tile drawings of the 19th-century British ceramicist William De Morgan.
Diet Prada, a fashion industry watchdog account on Instagram, called out Loewe for the outfit and called for a response.
“Unable to see anything but concentration camp uniforms in this $1,840 ensemble from @loewe‘s William De Morgan capsule, a collection meant to ‘capture a freedom of imagination,’ … There’s not actually much left to the imagination when the resulting look is so uncannily disturbing.”
In its statement, Loewe said: “It was brought to our attention that one of our looks featured in a magazine and part of our Arts and Crafts ceramicist William De Morgan could be misconstrued as referring to one of the most odious moments in the history of mankind. It was absolutely never our intention and we apologize to anyone who might feel we were insensitive to sacred memories. The products featured have been removed from our commercial offering.”
The international clothing chain Zara has removed several pieces of clothing over complaints from the Jewish community, including a skirt with an image resembling the “alt-right” hate symbol Pepe the Frog, a shirt for toddler boys that resembled a Holocaust concentration camp inmate’s uniform and a handbag with embroidered swastikas.
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