From allegedly stealing designs to stitching rodents into their clothing, Zara has been infamous for its many blunders. This time, the company is selling a denim skirt featuring a patch that looks suspiciously like the popular meme Pepe the Frog. The ubuqituous figure was originally created as a comic book by artist Matt Furie and its purpose was entirely innocent. Since then, however, this meme has been officially declared as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League after it became popular among hate groups like those that identify with the alt-right and anti-Semitic movements, according to the Los Angeles Times. Especially after the recent national election, Pepe has become increasingly popular among Trump supporters to make jabs at non-supporters.
It is unclear whether Zara was aware of the implications of this image, but even if they weren't, the company is one of the largest international clothing brands, valued at above $10 billion, and you'd expect a little more from them. As Vogue mentions, "The designer of the skirt is Mario de Santiago. Mario explores social interactions through his work and in his own words: 'The idea came from a wall painting I drew with friends four years ago.' There is absolutely no link to the suggested theme." Either way, it looks like Zara has taken notice of their customers' complaints and has removed the product from the website.
Zara is really out there trying to sell a P*pe the frog skirt, apparently unaware (?) of its current implications https://t.co/gQ3bimsdg2
— meagan (@meaganrosae) April 18, 2017