The world’s largest fashion retailer Zara is receiving side-eyes for its new T-shirt with the slogan, “White is the New Black.”
With the slogan, “(insert color/thing here) is the new black” quickly becoming a pop culture staple, some would say the T-shirt is a simple play on words. With the show Orange is the New Black gaining popularity and the all-white fashion trend, it’s no wonder why the retailer would want to jump on the bandwagon. But at what expense?
The line can be easily misconstrued. Tensions are still high amidst recent, race crimes against African Americans, even the slightest insulting line can be deemed insensitive, regardless of intentionality.
This isn’t the first mass produced T-shirt that caused controversy because of its message. Last month, the UK’s largest sports dealer, Sports Direct, sold merchandise of a band with a neo-Nazi lead singer. In 2013, Amazon stocked a “Keep Calm and Rape A Lot” T-shirt on its site.