AI fast fashion video unrelated to Zara controversy, contrary to viral claim | Fact check
The claim: Video shows protest against Zara for Gaza-reminiscent photoshoot
A Dec. 13 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows clothes falling from the sky into piles on the street.
"After Zara made a disrespectful ad about the Gaza conflict, Americans are throwing away all their Zara clothes in front of the company," reads the caption of the video, which was originally shared on TikTok.
Similar versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
The video is unrelated to Zara or the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. It was created by a used luxury goods company as part of its campaign against fast fashion and predates Zara's controversial photoshoot.
Video shows fast fashion campaign
The fashion brand Zara pulled a controversial advertisement after critics said the photoshoot resembled images of dead bodies in body bags captured in Gaza amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Some have called for boycotts against the brand, while stores in places like Scotland and Canada have experienced protests. But the Facebook video doesn't show one such demonstration.
The video was originally shared on TikTok on Nov. 16 by Vestiaire Collective, a company that buys and sells used luxury goods. It was also shared on the company's website a day earlier. That's three weeks before the controversial Zara campaign launched on Dec. 7.
The company's name can be seen on the billboard in the background of the video, along with the phrase, "What if fashion waste ... was on your doorstep?"
The caption on Vestiaire's TikTok video criticizes the waste generated each year by fast fashion, inexpensive clothing produced rapidly in response to the latest trends but not intended for longevity. The caption says Vestiaire is banning brands such as H&M, Gap and Zara due to the waste they generate.
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In an email to Paste BN, a spokesperson for Vestiaire confirmed the video has no connection to Zara's campaign and was published before it. The spokesperson, who declined to be named, said the video in question was AI-generated.
Paste BN reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The TikTok user couldn't be contacted.
Lead Stories, AFP, Check Your Fact and Reuters also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Vestiaire Collective spokesperson, Dec. 15, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Vestiaire Collective, Nov 16, TikTok video
- Vestiaire Collective, accessed Dec. 15, Home
- Vestiaire Collective, Nov. 15, Think First, Buy Second
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