Zara Responds To Pepe The Frog Controversy

Zara has responded to the controversy surrounding a cartoon patch on one of its skirts, asserting that the character depicted is not what it appears to be. The Spanish store came under fire for selling the cut-off denim skirt featuring a patch bearing a resemblance to Pepe the Frog - a character that has widely come to be associated with hate groups and which was added to the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) hate-symbol database last September. The item has now been removed from sale.

"The skirt is part of the limited Oil-On-Denim collection which was created through collaborations with artists and is only available in selected markets," a spokesperson told us today. "The designer of the skirt is Mario de Santiago, known online as Yimeisgreat. 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."

The news comes two-and-half years after the Spanish retailer apologised unreservedly after a children's T-shirt in its stores became the centre of a controversy. The garment (a long-sleeved top bearing a yellow six-pointed star) caused consternation among parents and press, who were stunned at its resemblance to the uniform worn by Jewish prisoners in concentration camps. Its latest foray into controversy has caused similar outrage.

While the character itself was originally created by illustrator Matt Furie as a benign cartoon, it was widely adopted by alt-right and anti-Semitic groups for communicating on social-media forums, reaching its peak during the American presidential election last year as it continued to pop up in racial contexts. Oren Segal, the director of the ADL’s Centre on Extremism, acknowledged to New York Magazine last year that while its database is "intended to be an educational tool to give people context so they have a better understand of use of imagery by extremists", it is open to working with Furie to reappropriate the design.

"I think one of the things we’ve tried to focus on, especially with memes, is whether or not there is a way to reclaim this," Segal said. "I know based on interviews he’s given, this cartoon is something that’s close to him and that he rejects the extremist and anti-Semitic use of this image. We would love to talk to him about ways to re-appropriate Pepe the frog, if at all possible."