History Of Zara

The Naeth
5 min readMay 13, 2024
Zara Logo:https://worldvectorlogo.com/logo/zara-logo-1

Zara, a world-renowned clothing chain, was founded by Amancio Ortega at the age of 12. Born in Leon, Spain, Ortega was the fourth child of a poor railroader and a common housekeeper.

After the Civil War, his family was forced to flee and became financially strained.

At the age of 12, he accompanied his mother to a grocery store where he was told that he could no longer sell goods in debt. This event changed his mind and his life forever.

At school, his mother was shocked to learn that her 12-year-old son would never return to school. Instead, he searched for a job, becoming a delivery boy at a shirt store.

He persisted in all his duties and even took extra work.

His communication skills and charisma led him to be offered an assistant position in one of the La Maha boutiques where his brother and sister were already working. At the age of 15, he became one of the best workers in the boutique, prompting his boss to appoint him the manager of the entire store.

At the same time, Amancio met Rosalia Mehta Goyeneche Ya, who would change his world forever. Rosalia worked as a dressmaker from the age of 11 and was unable to finish school because her family needed her help.

A few years later, Amancio asked Rosalia to marry him, and she agreed. His work at La Maha meant the world to him, as he learned all the nuances of buying goods, working with tailors, and finding gaps in the work of all the mechanisms of making clothes.

The history of Zara can be traced back to Amancio’s childhood, when he dropped out of school at the age of 12 and created one of the world’s largest clothing store chains.

He became one of the most influential and wealthy people in the world. The story of Zara is a testament to the power of personal connections and the importance of quality and style in creating a successful brand.

Amancio and his brother Antonio founded Confectioner’s GOAT initials, a small clothing company that initially operated in their home.

They rented a space in an old basement building and used the money from manufacturing to buy equipment needed for expansion.

The company was organized through contacts and hired seamstresses, mostly sailors, to work on the production line. In 1975, the couple opened their first branded store, Zara, which translates from Persian.

The name Zara was chosen by chance, as it translates from Persian. The store was initially called Zorba after the hero of the movie Zorba the Greek, but it was rejected at the last minute.

Amancio invested all his savings in the failed order and opened his first store in La Coruna. The store proved successful, and Ortega started opening new Zara stores in the city within a few years.

Amancio paid special attention to details and small features, focusing on the quality of clothes and their low prices.

The company worked with many young and creative geniuses who brought something new to the consumer. In 1988, Zara opened its first store abroad in Portugal, and in 1989, one of the Zara stores opened in New York, and in 1990 in Paris.

The turnover rate of the company was high, requiring Amancio to develop a new model of the design process and product distribution. He determined what would be worn by every brand fan in the new season and anticipated customer preferences.

This led to the development of fast fashion, allowing the entrepreneur to react quickly to changing consumer tastes and stay on trend.

In December 1988, Zara opened its first store abroad in neighboring Portugal. In 1989, one of the Zara stores opened in New York, and in 1990 in Paris.

The company’s production remained under Amancio’s control, and the turnover was so big that he had to develop a new model of the design process and product distribution.

The company was joined by Jose Maria Castellanos, who changed the world of clothing by reducing the design and sewing period to 15 days before the clothes were put on sale.

This allowed the Zara brand to develop trendy and fashionable products, sell them in stores, and maintain a high turnover rate, enabling rapid growth.

Amancio Ortega, a successful entrepreneur, decided to create Inditex to bring the Zara brand to an international level. Inditex became a company that worked without intermediaries and had complete control over the purchase of all materials, logistics, and design.

15 years after opening its first store, Inditex became the owner of STRATA, which quickly expanded its global reach. By the end of the 90s, the total number of stores started to expand rapidly, bringing the entrepreneur about $400 million in net profit annually.

An incredible ambition led to Ortega being named one of the 10 richest people in the world by Forbes in 2011. In October 2013, the owner of Inditex for the first time pushed Bill Gates, the traditional leader of the top.

Since 2011, the company has been run by one of Amancio’s successors, Pablo Isla. By the end of 2017, Ortega was appointed as the second CEO of Inditex, which now generates 70% of the corporation’s total revenue. Currently, Ortega owns Inditex, owning almost 60% of all.

The reason Zara clothes are so in demand today is due to their fashion, regular updates, comfort, and high demand within their price range.

The brand is addictive, with the day of product supply being called Z day, where new collections last for no longer than a month. Zara has become one of the most successful businesses in the old world, with celebrities like Katie Holmes, Olivia Palermo, and Queen Letizia of Spain wearing Zara outfits more than once.

Amancio Ortega has three children, including Sandra Mark, born with a severe form of congenital disability, and Martha.

In 2001, he created the Amancio Ortega Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that aims to promote various activities and research, education, and science. Today, his fortune is estimated at about $97 billion, but that figure is as of 2018.

At 84 years old, Amancio enjoys life in his 43-story skyscraper in Madrid, as well as his favorite hobbies, horseback riding, and raising chickens.

Zara stores have opened worldwide since 1895, offering seven main product lines of men’s and women’s clothing, underwear, outerwear, footwear, cosmetics, and accessories. The brand also includes a clothing line for children.

Zara is known for its wide range of products, making it suitable for hundreds of thousands and even millions of people worldwide. The brand is described as one of those brands that can easily find exactly what you need, and you don’t have to worry about looking bad while wearing Zara.

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