High-waisted, elasticated, two front pockets. They looked like the perfect summer trousers — until some Zara customers started posting videos of themselves tripping while wearing them. The style has very wide legs and a lightweight fabric that, as you walk, can wrap around your feet or your other leg. TikTok has filled up with footage of people going down on pavements, gravel driveways and near escalators. One Canadian customer said she broke her wrist and injured her face; another showed a shattered phone and a grazed knee. In one video the hem gets caught in the teeth of an escalator and pulls the trousers downward.
The nickname "Zara death pants" was born from the sheer repetition of the accidents and has become part of the garment's notoriety. The videos now follow a recognisable formula: first the outfit in front of the mirror, then the fall, then a damage report set to dramatic music. A stylist explained that the problem isn't limited to this particular style: the wider the leg, the easier it is for the fabric to catch on a shoe or wrap around the other ankle. Zara did not respond to the Guardian's requests for comment.
A few fixes have already been circulating online: cinching the hems with hair elastics, having them shortened, or wearing them with higher shoes. The trousers best suited to the heatwave have gone viral because crossing the street in them can turn into a test of skill.