Mango, a Spain-based clothing company, is apologizing for a shirt that features designs that some say look like Nazi symbols.

According to The Local, the shirt, which was available in Europe, features lightning bolt-like symbols. Complaints said the design resembles the SS symbol that secret German police used in the 1930s and 1940s.

Most of the complaints came from Germans, who took to the Internet to raise their concerns.

Mango has since recalled the controversial shirt and made an apologetic statement on Monday.

"The RAYO blouse belongs to a collection inspired by mini-motifs. In the range there are two other models which feature hearts and stars," Mango told The Local via email. "This design shows one of the designs. Mango regrets the unfortunate association that has come about because of this design."

This marks the second time in recent months that a Spanish clothing company has been accused of promoting Nazi-era symbols.

In August, Inditex apologized for its Zara brand children's shirt after receiving complaints that it looked like the clothing Nazis made Jewish people wear during the Holocaust. The shirt featured black-and-white horizontal stripes and a large, yellow six-pointed star on the left chest. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, said the location of the star was "the exact place where Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David" for identification purposes.

"It was only on sale for a few hours, only online, it didn't hit the stores," an anonymous Inditex spokeswoman told The Associated Press at the time, adding that the shirt had "nothing to do with the second world war."

Inditex also recalled its controversial shirt.

"Obviously we're aware of the sensitiveness of the issue and that's why we have withdrawn it," the spokeswoman said.

Another unnamed Inditex representative told Haaretz that the shirt "was inspired by classic Western films" and apologized "sincerely for any offense caused to our customers."

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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