UPDATE: Hi all, the Nazi swastika symbol is the same as the thousand year old symbol for peace despite those of you trying to defend this horrid bag. As for the readers accusing us of racism against Hindus and Buddhists, we are Chinese and our families are Buddhists! Like I said, this bag was made for sale in Western countries thus making it offensive and revolting. If it were for sale in a Hindu Buddhist Temple, it would be an altogether different story. Last I checked, Zara does not own boutiques in Hindu Buddhist Temples.
I have seen dozens of ugly bags in my time but none as offensive as the Zara bag with Swatsikas all over it. I don’t know why the designers for the Spanish based retailer thought this would be appropriate to market to teenage girls, their main bread and butter. It was not that long ago in history that millions suffered and died under this symbol and now Zara is trying to legitimize this ultimate symbol of fascism and racism? Even more shocking is that it made its way to the 1,026 stores in 68 countries across the world! In certain Asian countries this symbol has altogether different meaning. But this bag was not made for sale at a Hindu Buddhist Temple, it was sent to shops across Europe and America, countries where this symbol does not represent peace and prosperity!
Author Linda Grant sent me the photo and article from The Daily Mail with this quote:
“Perhaps not the bag to take to the synagogue for the Day of Atonement. I do realise that the swastika predates the Nazi party as an ancient Hindu and Buddhist symbol of peace and prosperity, but in Europe and America it means fascism and genocide and it’s astonishing that nobody at Zara’s HQ in Madrid picked up on it. I hope this bag didn’t make it to Zara’s Tel Aviv store.”
Wow, That is surprising. I had to re-red the title of this purse. Felt I was hooked on phonics for a sec. This is defiently shocking given what you stated already about the meaning to most of Europe and America.
On the other hand and on an extremely overly positive note, it could be a chance to bring back the original meaning to the symbol. Most people in this day and age most likely don’t even realize the original meaning. I think it would be in the best interest for the company to put some sort of letter stating where they are coming from with the use of the symbol and maybe enlighten those who may not know.
Can you avoid screaming racism when you talk about swastikas. Yes the symbol was stolen from its rich heritage by the nazi’s but isnt it racist to yell and scream about its use without considering that its such an important symbol still to Hindus and Buddhists.
The buddhist symbol goes the opposite way. Swastikas make an “S”, buddhist symbols go the other way.
Yes, for the positive meaning it is reversed from the Swastika.
That being said, why take a chance. There are lots of symbols
and designs to choose from rather than take a chance of
being mis-understood.
This bag should be removed from every store! We as Americans have desensitized ourselves to accepting anything! I am a firm believer of knowing our history in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes and this bag is just WRONG..plus the design is hideous..thanks bag snob for sharing:)
Maybe they are trying to bring back the more positive meaning of the symbol, but unfortunately in Europe and North America the average individual thinks of the swatsika as a symbol nazism. I think ‘rehabilitating’ the symbol so that people understand its positive meaning is appropriate and necessary, but I do not believe that Western Society is at a point where we can emblazon swastikas across a bag and NOT insult people. There are still holocaust survivors living and having talked to some of them myself, I’m pretty sure they’d be insulted and hurt to see a symbol that caused them so much pain embroidered in green on a purse.
Update on this bag, Zara has pulled this bag saying they did not realize the purse had the symbol upon putting the bags on shelves, and they recieved thousands of complaints about the bag.
You can check out this link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/19/wgermany219.xml
Which has an article about this issue.
Zara have apparently said that the prototype bag, the sample, did not have the swastikas on them, so they did not order this bag. However it remains the case that they were distributed to stores without anyone noticing. As for the reclaiming of the symbol to its original use, I think this must wait another generation or two until its horrific associations are part of history and not living memory.
That’s a symbol for the sun, and either way, the negative connotation that was put on it during the 30′s and 40′s should be far gone…….
I don’t think this is the right time to do it (and I don’t think a bag is the right medium, either), but wouldn’t it be nice if the swastika was one day robbed of its power as a symbol?
hilarious. zara probably outsourced the bag to india, where the symbol continues to carry the same meanings it did since ancient history. the idiots at zara responsible for this bag probably didn’t look at the full length or pattern of the fabric. in any case, it’s important to note that the swastika, while it carries a beautiful meaning to indians, it does carry a horrific meaning to jews.
the racist thing that i am seeing in this blog is the denial that while there are plenty of holocaust survivors living in europe and north america, there are also plenty of hindus and indians living in the same places.
i oculd be wrong, but i think that this is the buddhist symbol, and the swastika “spins” the other way, if you get what i’m saying…
yoko is correct, this is the buddhist symbol, NOT the swastika symbol. The buddhist sswastika is the one that makes an ‘s’ and the other one is the mirror image of that. This symbol has nothing to do with the Nazi and the holocaust. It’s ignorance to confuse the two, and ethnocentric to say you can’t use the buddhist symbol for peace and prosperity which has predated Nazis by thousands of years just because the two symbols have some resemblance.
To the person who posted “the negative connotation that was put on it during the 30′s and 40′s should be far gone” don’t you dare say that to those of us whose parents and grandparents lost dozens of relatives – parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins – due to the Nazi genocide. How dare you say it should be “far gone” when we are just one generation removed from it! That has to be the most thoughtless and inconsiderate thing I have ever read on this site and it disgusts me as much as seeing this hideous bag.
So now that we’ve pretty much spit out all the venom about the swastika on the bag, I want to note a couple of things. Firstly, because I work in marketing and product procurement, I find it extremely hard to believe that as many quality controls as product must go through, Zara “didn’t realize” they had made this hideous bag with something that would create such a backlash. They had intent; they went through and completed the project; they created containers full of these bags; they distributed, merchandised, and sold these bags. Now watch ebay for some lovely
And secondly, Linda Grant, you shouldn’t be carrying anything on the Day of Atonement, whether it’s this atrocity or a Chanel clutch, because that would be against the prohibition to carry on a Holy Day. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Most Western designers have no clue about any symbology when they use images on their products. Forget the Swastika,how many times haven’t we seen images of Hindu gods and goddesses, and Chinese and Arabic scripts, just plastered onto bags, shoes, toilet seats even. All because the people sitting in design studios think they are “retro”, “kitsch” or just plain “exotic”. Everything doesn’t have to be seen from the Western perspective only- there are other cultures that have existed long before, you know! Yes, the swastika was hijacked for the most reprehensible use but you can’t just dismiss a whole people and say, to hell with your symbols and their meanings.
You guys are wrong. The hindu version was in the opposite direction. Read further down on wikipedia under “geometry and symbolism”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Did they have a public announcement in their ignorant mistake? Because this definitely deters me from zara now.
for any of you defending this bag shame on you! maybe it wasnt put there for the same reasons as the nazis but it is there none the less! i am outraged but some of these responses. 6 million jews were killed in the holocaust 2 million of those were children!!! to defend the sign on the bag is to defend hitler (may his name be erased from the face of the earth). my grandparents whole family were killed in the holocaust – more than 20 people! and my grandfather on my dads side faught in the army during world war 2! while the genoside placed on the jews was the most significant in terms of numbers and tortures we must not forget the countless amount of blacks, gypsies, and homosexuals that were also murdered during this time period. whats even worse is that so many jews shop at zara because a lot of there clothes adhere to the laws of modesty. a lot more shld be done on zaras part to make up for the horrible design mistake.
The Buddhist symbol for peace has the angles in the opposite direction so Zara should have done their homework. The world is still filled with White Supremacists/Nazis. Most are disaffected young men and women who need to deal wtih anger and trouble in their lives and get sucked up into the miasma of facist Nazism. It is still a driving force for racism against all groups not white and Aryan. The plan was to rid the world of Jews, Gypsies, Blacks, Gays, the mentally ill-anyone who did not fill the Teutonic ideal. Maybe Zara should make bags with the good old peace sign from the 60′s. It is nice they pulled it off their shelves but if they are not more careful, the letters “kkk” could be woven into their next design. “Mistakes” happen.
The swattika is actually a hindu symbol and does not necessarily mean that the display should be associated with the nazi’s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Anon above.. please don’t be so stupid. When most people see the swastika, they don’t think.. oh what a lovely hindu symbol.
Zara is racist. No more. No less.
there’s nothing offensive in swastika and if Hitler stolen it why rest of the world have to be misled? those who get offended just lack education.
yOU PEOPLE ARE SMALL MINDED AND CLOSED MINDED, MILLIONS HAVE DIED UNDER THE SIGH OF THE CHRISTIAN CROSS, REMEMBER THE CRUSADES? O BUT WAIT A CROSS IS OK? GROW UP REALIZE THAT OUR CULTURE IS THE ONE THAT HAS FUCKED UP THE WORLD MAYBE ONE DAY THE AMERICAN FLAG A SYMBOL THAT IS 100% OURS WILL BE BANNED ON THIS PLANET DUE TO THE AWFUL THINGS WE HAVE DONE. lOOK BEYOND YOUR OWN NOSE TO SEE THAT WHAT WE THINK IT MEANS MAY NOT BE WHAT THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS….
how nice they r but would u plz send me collection on bags sport .
thax
ZARA YOU OUT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOUR SELVES
REMOVE THIS BAG FROM YOUR LINE ZARA!!!!!!
A VERY OFFENDED SHOPPER
THAT WILL SEIZE GOING TO YOUR STORE
AND WILL SPREAD ALL OVER WHO YOU ARE
The reasoning here seems to be that it’s not a mistake to misinterpret a symbol that has a different meaning to the one your culture places on it, because they shouldn’t be selling symbols from other cultures within your culture in the first place.
This strikes me as much more racist than the swastika.
By this logic, if one were to sell a t-shirt with a vaguely phallic kanji on it in Britain, then it wouldn’t be considered ignorant to point and shout ‘PENIS!’ regardless of the actual meaning. The writers of this article may not be xenophobic, but they’re promoting an attitude that suggests xenophobia is okay.
It is a horrible bag though, the design is very dull and has no visual impact. Come on, Zara, let’s have a proper swastie bag: Red and black, with the swastika in a prominent white circle. If it was good enough for the Sex Pistols it’s good enough for you!
Regardless of the ancient meaning of the swastika in Hindu and Buddhist cultures, the symbol has a completely different meaning in TODAY’S society!
The symbol has become stigmatized and sort of taboo in the Western world because of its iconic usage by Nazi Germany, and it has notably been outlawed in Germany if used as symbol of Nazism.
Though the interpretation of the symbol is left to the owner of the purse, the purse carrier is giving a message of their support of nazism; THAT is the meaning of the purse, regardless of other “real” and innocent intentions of the bag carrier.
If this really was a swastika from Hindu culture, it would look somewhat different, with 4 dots as you can see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastica
these bags probably came from cheap fabric in india
they are not antisemitic, im sure.
seriously, stop shopping there? are you kidding?
relax
its an ancient vedic symbol, unfortunately associated with horrific tragedy, but it was probably easy material to manufacture a bag from and not meant for hating jews.
the jews all over the world cannot search everywhere for hidden hate symbols.
why dont you call zaras people, and have them issue a statement before you start hating them.
hate=hate
but symbols are what you make them.
if you want to boycott them, keep in mind the poor people in india who probably can get their one lentil cracker because they sewed a bag, if you want to help people, help them.
if we stop worrying about everyone hating us, we can help others who need help. jews are doing fine. think about that. we are fine. help someone else eat. or boycott half the world. its our choice as people and as a people how much longer we choose suffering.
SHOP WHERE YOU WANT TO
BE FREE, ISNT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING?
WE ARE A FREE PEOPLE
IF the purse was a mistake, it should have been recalled with an apology given. IF it was manufactured to make a fashion statement, it succeeded…Don’t buy Zara products!
PS- Sadly, many of you need to learn how to use spell check and/or go back to school. It is senseless to accuse others of being ignorant, while one employs improper spelling and grammar!
Best reply in the whole blog!
Zara should be completly boycotted from now on by all of us, decent human beings. If they show their support on the nazis – they will suffer. BIG TIME.
Israel should also stop making deals with this company. See how they survive…
I could not agree more with Jane. Reading the referenced comment about how the stigma of the Swastika in the 30′s and 40′s should be long gone by now was simply shocking. The level of ignorance and pure idiocy of such an opinion makes me scared of what the future will hold. Slavery was a huge issue 160 years ago yet it is often referenced and salient today. The plight of the Native Americans and what settlers did to decimate their populations (thus current reservation designation, laws and cultural programming in whatever capacity) 350 years ago is also taught and widely known. There are many more examples to list but the point is that regardless of when horrific things happened in history we still take that into account and learn from it on an ongoing basis. My grandparents are all Holocaust survivors and most of my family was killed in Nazi Germany and while I was not there to witness it I am here today because of a few brave, lucky people who somehow made it out alive. We should remember, teach, and honor ALL that history has to tell us and remain sensitive to it irrespective of when it happened. With so many ‘symbols’ of peace, etc. out there why pick one that also represents (misguided or not) one of the most atrocious events of human history? I hope that the moron who thinks that we are all ‘so OVER’ the 30s and 40s has his/her head examined and maybe loses the ability to communicate personal opinions since such opinions are clearly not wanted by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Yes, chalk another one up to the terrible, ignorant, America-centric (Euro-centric) people of the USA. Oh wait, this country is made up of people with cultural backgrounds spanning the globe. I cannot BELIEVE that all these different people here have the sheer audacity to take perspective on a swastika and think about how it must feel to MANY races/cultures to see something like that on a mass-produced globally-distributed fashion item!!! We sure are thoughtless assholes. Shame on us.
You are right; who cares about being considerate? It is so SELFISH to think about these things. You have inspired me to start my own fashion line making sure that every race/religion/ethnic group out there feels accommodated and EVERYONE has an equal voice. My first designs will include a big hooded sweatshirt depicting the crumbling TWIN TOWERS entitled “The Bin-Laden Inspiration;” a t-shirt dress with an exploding nuclear warhead, dead people, and Iran and North Korean leaders (Ahmadinejad & Kim Jong Il) happily shaking hands entitled ” Murder, Hatred and Ethnic Cleansing are Fun!!;” and of course the much-needed historical nod to Nazi Germany showing starved, naked Jews being led to the gas chambers, smoke billowing overhead, with Hilter and friends in the forefront discussing the “Trials and Tribulations of cleaning the OVENS after the annual ANNIHILATION dinner.”
Sounds like we have some real winners on our hands, and the best thing is that everyone will have been given equal consideration and respect for their cultural and religious beliefs!!!
THANK GOODNESS for RESPECT!!
And just how would that work? The reason we have symbols is because they are “symbolic,” so that what they represent is NOT forgotten. The Cross is a symbol, the Star of David is a symbol, the U.S. Flag is a symbol. Should their symbology be forgotten…lost? The swastika is also a symbol, not just for the Jews and all who died at the hands of whose symbology it represents, but what can happen in any country, in crisis or not, whose people have become so ignorant, complacent and willing to let a good spin doctor tell you he’s the Anointed One. The swastika in this country and many other countries is the symbol of hate and fear. And whenever it rears its ugly head, hate and fear follow. Maybe that’s just inconvenient for some of you, but it doesn’t make it less so.
Best comment. Thank you.
Bullshit you stupid asshole. How many of your relatives died in the gas chambers? Never forget. Never forget. Never forget. You are an ignorant boob.
the nazi swastika is different from the buddhist swastika, the nazi one is backwards and the nazi one is the one on the purse so stop trying to defend it.
The swastika is the symbol of nazis. It is against the law to use it in Germany and for good reason. Apparently Zara bag people dont know European world history or know about the second wold war or maybe they are run by teenagers who are clueless and think the symbol is cute. The symbol is one of hatred and death. It should not be used as a fashion statement. Don’t buy Zara products until they issue an aplogy.
Actually you have it reversed, the nazi swastika forms an “S” and the ancient symbol of the sun spins the other way. Check your facts before you make them part of an opinion.
You should rot in hell.
I think it’s absoluely inappriate and appaling. Due to this oversight as the company states it’s ignorance about what the symbol means to many that were oppressed and murdered, I would NEVER purchase any of their products.
A truthful apology would be more accepting then this complete nonsense that they didn’t realize it might be offensive. Give me a brake. Don’t they have a bright marketing team?
The owners of Zara are purported Opus Dei members. The Opus Dei are notorious anti semites. This would explain the bag oversight.
this was in 2007. the company has pulled the bag in question. yes ONE BAG. each bag in the collection were different and not one bag was like another. when this particular bag was discovered, they pulled the entire collection in the world. thanks google!
you are all flippin dumbasses.
its a freakin bag for fucks sake
get a clue shit heads and stop acting like a bored cop on the freeway..there are better places to exert your energy
Seriously? Are you THAT ignorant? I guess 9-11 was years ago too so it would be ok to wear an al-qaeda tshirt–try you stupid ass lets see what happens to you.
I think this bag is horrible , i recently sent an email to Zara and they said We dont change our policies for just a few complaints , thats why i launched a Petition drive to show them that more than just a few ppl dislike the design of this bag and that it is offensive to alot of people , the petition is located at http://www.removehate.com , please forward to others as well , thanks
You’re being ridiculous. The only people saying “to hell with your symbols and their meanings” are the ones who didn’t know or care that this symbol (regardless of its peaceful origins) now represents murder, hate, discrimination, and genocide to the vast majority of westerners – and most informed people around the world.
You’re upset that western designers don’t know religious symbols used in other countries, yet you can excuse someone who doesn’t know the symbol used by the enemies of the entire free world in World War II?
I’m not defending disrespecting any cultures religious, but to use one mistake to defend another is ridiculous.
Why don’t we all just ban the Turkish flag from being hung because it might offend Armenians?
Why not ban plain black t-shirts because they’re a symbol of Mussolini’s fascist regime?
The Swastika (Savasthika) is a very important symbol to me and I honestly don’t care if it offends a group of people. You can use the holocaust as an excuse to kill Arab children and get yourself a country, but stop being so narrow-minded and accept the real context of the symbol.
I know what I’m talking about.
First of all Zara HQ are not in Madrid. But in the Northern Spain, in Galicia
Second, that was a mistake in production. That was made in India and the print was left to the fabric producer. this mistake was not spotted in quality checking, and the bag was imediately taken out the stores
first of all, if your family is chinese and buddhist, why are you making such a big deal of this? the swastika is a symbol that is more than 5,000 years old, and actually means good luck and well being. the ONLY reason it is percieved as a symbol of hate and racism is ecause of the way the nazis used it. A surgical knife in the hands of a killer, who uses it to kill, does not make the knife evil! i understand though, how since it is being sold in western countries, and not in buddhist temples, it seems very offensive. but think about it, the nazis were a white supremacist party. zara is a spanish company. i dont think that they intentionally put this on their bag to spew hate. also notice that on the bag, the swastika is inside a sun. in hinduism, the swastika is a symbol of the sun and the god Vishnu. and taking this into account, plus the fact that the swastika is INSIDE the sun on the bag, put two and two together…..Only Hitler made the swastika a hated symbol. its sad that one horrible misuse of a sacred symbol has changed the perception of it completely, and made it the most hated sign in history.
you people really need to get educated on the history of the swastika. to automatically assume that this is racist, without knowing the facts, is ignorant.
Chill everyone who thin Zara made a mistake. It’s the Hindu Swastika on the bag. They did their research.
The Hindu sign goes clockwise. The Nazi one goes anti clockwise.
How you can people be so ignorant on the differences between the symbols baffles me.
Even the not always correct wikipedia got it right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Geeeeez people.
Chill everyone who thinks Zara made a mistake. It’s the Hindu Swastika on the bag. They correctly did their research.
IF YOU GUYS WERE TOOK SOME TIME TO DO SOME RESEARCH, YOU WOULD’VE SAVED YOURSELVES SOME ACHE AND PAIN IN POSTING CLUELESS COMMENTS UP HERE.
The Hindu sign goes clockwise. The Nazi one goes anti clockwise.
How you can people be so ignorant on the differences between the symbols baffles me.
Even the not always correct wikipedia got it right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Geeeeez people.
GREAT answer…
Zara’s comment: “we didn’t see it” LOL
does that mean that maybe tomorrow they will have a handbag with a drawing of a dick on each side?