Fact Check: Did Americans throw Zara clothes in front of Times Square? Viral video debunked amid Gaza campaign backlash 

Fast fashion company Zara recently made headlines after its newest advertising campaign was accused of portraying horrific images from Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

On December 13, a 10-second video started circulating on social media platforms showing piles of clothes lying around in front of Zara’s Times Square store in Manhattan, New York City, as other clothes came flying and filled the streets nearby. It was first shared by X user Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) with the caption:

“After Zara made a disrespectful ad about the Gaza conflict, Americans are throwing away all their Zara clothes in front of the company. Zionism is the new WOKE [three fire emojis].”

While many netizens assumed that the clip was real, it was later revealed by news outlets Snopes and Newsweek that the footage dates back to November 2023 and has no relation to the current controversy.

---

Times Square Zara clothes dump video is a past AI-generated campaign of Vestiaire Collective

In the wake of the ongoing controversy, a video surfaced on X showing Zara clothes being dumped in Times Square in front of the company’s store, supposedly to protest against the latest ad campaign.

However, it was soon found out that the video predates the controversy by a month and can be traced back to mid-November when second-hand fashion store Vestiaire Collective posted it on its TikTok account.

The video was accompanied by a caption declaring that it was forbidding 30 fashion brands from its platform and clarifying why.

“With 92 million tons of textiles sent to landfill every year, now’s the time to act. That’s why, from today, we’re banning another 30 fast fashion brands from Vestiaire Collective, including Zara, H&M, Gap, Abercombie & Fitch, Mango, Urban Outfitters, and Uniqlo. Ready to join the movement?”

The post also came with the hashtag #thinkfirstbutsecond. Meanwhile, a Vestiaire Collective spokesperson confirmed to Agence France-Presse that their video was digitally manipulated and developed by a French company using AI. Interestingly, the original TikTok post earned over 19 million views and roughly a million likes.

The same was later shared across all social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The Vestiaire Collective video aimed to raise awareness about fast fashion waste and its impact on the planet.

So, the viral video of clothes being thrown by Americans in front of the retailer's Times Square store is misleading and false. However, calls for a boycott of the company are continuing.

---

Exploring, in brief, the latest Zara controversy

Last week, Spanish multinational apparel chain Zara faced severe backlash after its new advertising campaign went viral. Called “The Jacket,” it was part of the company’s 2024 Atelier series Collection 4 and portrayed model Kristen McMenamy.

She was seen wearing the jacket in topic, while also holding a mannequin shrouded in white cloth and resembling dead bodies. There were also other mannequins lying around with white covers and limbs that appeared to be missing. The model even posed inside a wooden box similar to coffin images flooding online from mass graveyards in Palestine.

Not only that, but the campaign showed rubble, including a plyboard allegedly resembling the shape of a Palestinian map.

Netizens united to conclude that the brand was mocking the crisis and violence unfolding in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict and called for a mass boycott of the brand, with the hashtag #boycottzara trending across all social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the company pulled the controversial campaign images from its social media and even issued an official statement clearing the air, saying that the fashion campaign was “conceived in July and photographed in September,” long before the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict began.

The company also assured that the context of the campaign was purely “artistic” in nature and had nothing to do with any sociopolitical situations. It further added that the brand regrets any misunderstanding and has “deep respect towards everyone.”