Who put the needle? A needle hidden in a ZARA pants pocket injured a customer: bleeding and taken to the hospital. The authorities say they are cooperating with the investigation. Over 100 stores have closed in the past 8 years.

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By | BUG column, Xu Yuanlei

International fast-fashion giant ZARA has once again been reported to have a security vulnerability. Some consumers say that when they tried on pants at ZARA’s store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, they were actually injured in the abdomen and thigh by a needle hidden inside the pocket, which caused bleeding. In response, ZARA officially said it would fully cover the medical expenses and cooperate with the public security authorities in their investigation.

The BUG column called the phone numbers of the implicated stores multiple times, and as of the time of publication it had not been able to get through. After sorting through the situation, it was found that such security hazards were not an isolated case. The aforementioned complaints involving the stores had already shown similar disputes in the past. Last year, a consumer also complained on the platform [Download the Black Cat Complaint app] that they were cut by a sharp price tag, leaving an approximately 9-centimeter wound, and were then met with store staff deflection.

Against the backdrop of record-high performance for the parent company Inditex Group, ZARA in the Chinese market is currently undergoing significant contraction. The number of stores has fallen from 183 at its peak to 62, a reduction of more than 60%. The closure wave has continued since 2026.

A needle hidden in the pants caused bleeding—where did the needle come from?

According to media reports, on a recent occasion, consumer Ms. Zhao posted on a social platform saying that on the evening of March 26, while trying on pants at ZARA Asia Pacific Plaza on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, she was punctured and began bleeding on her abdomen and right thigh by a needle inside the pants. She then went to the hospital for a blood draw and tests, and reported the incident to the police.

The images published by the consumer show the needle hidden inside the pants pocket, with a length of at least 1 centimeter. The case acceptance receipt shows that Ms. Zhao’s leg and abdomen were punctured by the needle embedded in the clothing, after which she was sent to a hospital by the store clerk. During the process, Ms. Zhao was dissatisfied with how the ZARA store handled the matter, so she报警求助, and later both sides reached an agreement on their own.

ZARA’s official customer service responded, saying, “We are deeply sorry for this incident. After it happened, we accompanied the consumer to seek medical treatment immediately and covered all related medical expenses in full. At the same time, we actively cooperated with the public security authorities to investigate and collect evidence. We are currently maintaining close communication with the consumer.”

The source of the needle has sparked discussion among netizens. One user analyzed that the needle may have been left behind during production or transportation. The pants might have been mixed with medical supplies or disinfection supplies; the needle could have accidentally ended up in the clothing packaging process, and ultimately flowed into the retail stage. Another user suggested that it cannot be ruled out that, in an extreme case, a small number of individuals maliciously placed the needle.

Regardless of the reason, it exposes clear vulnerabilities in the brand’s supply chain, warehousing, and store inspection. Regarding ZARA store responsibility determination, Han Bin, a lawyer at Beijing Zhongyin (Guangzhou) Law Firm, said: As the operator, the ZARA store—because the products it offered for sale had a serious defect that endangered personal safety, namely the needle—did not fulfill its duty to provide safety assurance. Therefore, it must bear primary liability for the personal injury damages suffered by the consumer. The consumer has the right to demand compensation for actual losses such as medical expenses and lost work time, and may also claim compensation for emotional distress.

In reviewing this situation, the BUG column found that the incident in which the needle pierced the pants during a try-on was not a one-off case. The aforementioned implicated ZARA store had repeatedly shown similar safety hazards and consumer disputes.

In July last year, a consumer complained on a platform, saying, “I was cut by a sharp price tag, with a wound about 8 to 9 cm. I asked for the person in charge to come and handle it, but no one paid attention to me. I went to the person in charge myself. The person in charge said to wait until he finished being busy before handling it. After waiting about 10 minutes, with the store having already confirmed that I was cut by the price tag, when ZARA customer service negotiated compensation for lost work time, they said they could not compensate, shifting responsibility. After waiting more than a week, they said the ZARA price tags do not have any sharp problems. Even now, ZARA store staff and customer service have not apologized even once.”

At other ZARA stores, complaints about needles hidden in clothes are also common, and they even involve children’s clothing products. A consumer posted on a social platform, saying, “I bought a knit top at ZARA’s Shanghai Changning Longzhimeng store for 197 yuan, and the neckline actually has a complete metal needle hidden inside! I paid money to buy a needle bomb.”

When consumers try on clothes and shop in daily life, what should they do first after discovering a problem? Han Bin advised that consumers should proactively check during try-ons. If a problem is found, they should immediately stop using the item, take photos and record videos to fix the evidence, and communicate and negotiate with the merchant. If the issue still cannot be resolved, rights protection can be sought through administrative complaints or civil lawsuits.

Store scale contracts—over 120 stores closed in 8 years

According to publicly available information, ZARA is a Spanish fast-fashion brand, and its parent company is Inditex (aites) Group, the world’s largest fast-fashion group. Based on financial report data, in fiscal year 2025 (from February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026), Inditex Group’s net sales reached 39.86B euros, up 3.2% year over year. Net profit was 6.22 billion euros, up 6% year over year, with both reaching record highs in the brand’s history.

From a regional layout perspective, Inditex Group’s growth mainly relies on the European market. The group’s total revenue from Spain and European markets outside Spain accounts for about two-thirds. Asia and other parts of the world account for only 15%, slightly down from 15.7% in fiscal year 2024. ZARA China’s performance is included within this 15% share and is not separately presented in the core financial reports.

In sharp contrast to the strong growth in the global market, ZARA in the Chinese market is currently experiencing significant contraction and adjustment. According to financial report materials, as of the end of January 2018, the number of ZARA stores on the Chinese mainland reached a peak of 183, widely covering the core business districts of major cities. By January 2026, its operating stores had shrunk to 62, a contraction of more than 60% compared with the peak period.

Since 2026, ZARA China’s store closure actions have continued. According to media reports, in January 2026, ZARA concentratedly shut down seven low-efficiency stores in places including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wenzhou. These included the Hangzhou Xixi Impression City store, which had been operating for more than 12 years, and the Shanghai Songjiang Impression City store, among others. It even completely withdrew from cities such as Wenzhou, Guiyang, Dongguan, and Huizhou.

However, ZARA’s contraction in China is not a full retreat, but a strategic adjustment to close smaller stores while opening larger ones, and to improve quality while discarding lower value. At present, ZARA is concentrating resources to upgrade core business districts in first-tier cities or open large flagship stores. According to public reports, in 2026, ZARA will open a new flagship store on Huaihai Middle Road in Shanghai.

Analysis views suggest that ZARA’s contraction and adjustment in the Chinese market is not only a snapshot of the collective cooling of the global fast-fashion industry, but also closely related to changes in China’s consumer market. Some leading domestic fast-fashion brands have much longer new product cycles than ZARA. At the same time, domestic brands understand Chinese consumers’ aesthetics and needs better, creating significant competitive pressure on international brands like ZARA.

The incident in which the needle pierced someone during a try-on undoubtedly brings new challenges to ZARA China, which is in a strategic adjustment period. As a global fast-fashion giant, while ZARA pursues efficiency and scale, if it cannot hold the line on product safety and improve end-to-end quality control and store management, it may further erode consumer trust and affect its brand image and transformation progress in the Chinese market.

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Responsible editor: Song Yafang