Zara (Spanish: [ˈθaɾa]) is a
Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and
founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion
group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe,
Stradivarius and Bershka.
It is claimed that Zara needs
just two weeks to develop a new product
and get it to stores, compared to the six-month industry average, and launches
around 10,000 new designs each year. Zara has resisted the industry-wide trend
towards transferring fast fashion production to low-cost countries. Perhaps its
most unusual strategy was its policy of zero advertising; the company preferred
to invest a percentage of revenues in opening new stores instead. This has
increased the idea of Zara as a "fashion imitator" company and low
cost products. Lack of advertisement is also in contrast to direct competitors
such as Uniqlo and United Colors of Benetton.
Zara was described by Louis
Vuitton Fashion Director Daniel Piette as "possibly the most innovative
and devastating retailer in the world." Zara has also been described as a
"Spanish success story" by CNN. (reference: Wikipedia)
