Photo: Via Zara.The Zara kid's T-shirt shown at left features a yellow, star-shaped patch with the word "Sheriff" cut out of it. Pretty cute idea, right? But if, at first glance, you thought "World War II" rather than "Old West," you're not alone.
Following a social-media outcry in which many people likened the Sheriff's badge to the yellow, six-pointed Stars of David Jewish people were forced to wear during the Nazi occupation of Europe and in concentration camps, Zara has decided to stop selling the T-shirt, reports 972 mag.
The T-shirt had previously been available in Zara’s U.K., French, Israeli, Albanian, and Swedish e-shops. It does not appear to have been available in the U.S. Following the furor, which is still going strong on Twitter, Zara issued an apology for offending its customers, explaining that, while the tee in question was inspired by Old West uniforms and was part of its "Cowboy Collection for babies," the brand "nevertheless [understood] the sensitive context and connotation that was created."
Representatives from Zara Israel further stated that "as soon as the issue became clear, it was decided the product will be removed from shelves across the world and exterminated." A truly cringe-inducing choice of words given the nature of the offense, but we'll chalk it up to an unfortunate translation. (972 mag)