While Zara offends, H&M sells out of Jewish t-shirt
After the fashion chain Zara sparked outrage with the sale of a kids’ t-shirt ressembling a concentration camp uniform, Swedish brand H&M has gained a more positive reception with a women’s vest top quoting the Jewish sage Hillel.
Emblazoned with the phrase ‘If not now, when?’, the top partially quotes the famous Talmudic wise man, who stated in his book of teachings, “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”.
While the top is still available for purchase online, an H&M representative in New York said its popularity has seen it flying off the shelves in her store.
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“That’s been one of our most popular items this summer,” said Kiera Elliott, an H&M saleswoman in the Times Square branch.
“We sold that item out weeks ago, but people keep asking me about it. It obviously made a lasting impression.”
H&M’s offering comes in stark contrast to Zara’s recent withdrawal from sale of a striped t-shirt with a yellow star on it, following widespread public anger.
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