Company faces criticism for launching clothing line with swastikas
The clothing line received harsh criticism on social media as well. Photo courtesy: New York Post
(Web Desk) - A design company attracted heavy social media criticism after it produced and launched a line of clothing with the swastika entrenched on it.
According to Al-Jazeera, KA design, which claims vaguely to be based "somewhere in Europe”, came under heavy fire after launching a line of t-shirts, sweaters, and hoodies emblazoned with the famous Nazi symbol - the swastika.
The swastika on the company’s clothing was highly different than the one used by the Nazis. While the Nazi swastika was mostly black with a white background (often on a red flag) the one used by the design company was white with a colorful backdrop resembling the rainbow flag popularised at gay pride events.
KA design has stated that it wants to reclaim the symbol from its previous meaning of hate. Video courtesy: Facebook
Still despite these color differences most social media users chose to respond negatively to the company’s clothing with many commentators stating that it was wrong to use such a hated symbol on the clothing and the US-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) commenting that the clothing line was an offensive use of Nazi imagery and that fashion could not reclaim the symbol from hate.
You Can Now Buy Rainbow Swastika T-Shirts, But Please — Don’t. https://t.co/qbFIilCoXb
— Kirk DeMatas (@KirkDeMatas) August 7, 2017
This is an offensive use of #Nazi imagery. Fashion can t reclaim this symbol from #hate: https://t.co/URTrUTfGRe
— ADL (@ADL_National) August 6, 2017
KA design, which had previously stated that it wanted to return the swastika to its old meaning of peace and love, responded to the social media controversy on Monday with a Facebook post on the company website stating: "Hatred and Nazism have won. We brought out the worst in people. We believe in a world of infinite forgiveness. We forgive everyone. And we hope to be forgiven. Let Love Prevail."
The swastika is one of the most famous symbols in the world and has a long history. The symbol and its variants are thought to have come from a number of ancient cultures, most notably the Indo-Aryan culture whose peoples who had come to the Indian sub-continent around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. Later on the symbol was adapted by the German Nazis who used it to promote the idea of racial superiority. The Nazis spread the symbol as they marched across Europe during the Second World War.
After Germany lost the war the swastika was banned in several Western countries although in India and other majority Hindu states, it continues to be used as a religious symbol.
