Zara apologizes for children’s shirt that resembles Holocaust prison uniform

Retail giant Zara is being slammed over a children’s shirt that is being likened to a concentration camp uniform.

The long-sleeved T-shirt, which the store says was intended for children from three-months-old to three-years-old, was striped with a six-point star on the left side that reads “Sheriff” in nearly impossible-to-see transparent font.

While Zara says the shirt was inspired by "Classic Western" films, critics say it looks a lot like a concentration camp uniform worn by Holocaust victims.

Israeli journalist Dimi Reider of +972 was one of the first to notice the shirt, which was being sold on Zara U.K.’s website as well as on a number of its international sites, including Israel, France, Denmark, Albania and Sweden.

“It’s a SHERIFF shirt for your three-year-old. Obviously. What else could it be?” Reider writes. “It even says Sheriff in (transparent, cutout) letters across the star. Why, what else does it remind you of?”

Critics took to Twitter to voice their complaints:

Zara has since apologized and pulled the product from its sites. While the brand’s parent company issued a statement, according to +972, the Zara Israeli offices went into further detail:

“The item in question, part of the Cowboy Collection for babies, was inspired by the character of the sheriff in Wild West movies. The word ‘Sheriff’ is visible on the star at the front of the item. Nevertheless, we can understand the sensitive context and connotation that was created. The item does not exist in Israel and as soon as the issue became clear, it was decided the product will be removed from shelves across the world and exterminated.”

Probably not the best choice of words, guys.

This isn’t the first time Zara has been criticized over their design choices. In 2007, the brand removed a line of handbags after they were revealed to have designs resembling swastikas on the lining.

And just two weeks ago, the company was slammed for a T-shirt that read “White is the New Black."