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Loewe pulls outfit after critics liken it to concentration camp uniforms

Loewe announced the products have been removed from sale 

Matt Drake
Monday 25 November 2019 10:15 GMT
Loewe has apologised and recalled the item
Loewe has apologised and recalled the item

A fashion brand has withdrawn an outfit from sale after critics said it looked like a concentration camp uniform worn by victims of the Holocaust.

Luxury Spanish fashion house Loewe launched the outfit on November 14 as part of its William De Morgan capsule collection.

Some items in the collection are being sold for upwards of £4,000, CNN reports.

On Friday, fashion industry watchdog, Diet Prada, cited similarities to the concentration camp uniform, which also had vertical-stripes.

"Unable to see anything but concentration camp uniforms in this $1,840 ensemble," Diet Prada wrote on their Instagram. “There’s not actually much left to the imagination when the resulting look is so uncannily disturbing.”

Loewe apologised via Instagram Stories and has now removed the product from its website. ​

The statement read: “It was brought to our attention that one of our looks featured in a magazine and part of our Arts and Crafts ceramicist William De Morgan could be misconstrued as referring to one of the most odious moments in the history of mankind.

“It was absolutely never our intention and we apologise to anyone who might feel we were insensitive to sacred memories. The products featured have been removed from our commercial offering.”

Before it was removed the item was advertised as a “Stripe Workwear Jacket White/Black” and cost (£740), according to the New York Post.

It isn’t the first time a clothing brand has come under fire for releasing clothing allegedly similar to the Holocaust uniform.

In 2014, Spanish brand Zara apologised for a stripey T-shirt with a yellow star on it.

The company said it was inspired by “sheriff’s starts from classic Westerns”, but others said it bore a resemblance to the Star of David.

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