Zara is a Spanish fast fashion retail subsidiary of the Spanish multinational fashion design, manufacturing, and retailing group Inditex.[2] Zara sells clothing, accessories, beauty products and perfumes.[3] The head office is located at Arteixo in the province of A Coruña, Spain.[4] In 2020 alone, it launched over twenty new product lines.[5]
History
Early history
Zara was established by Amancio Ortega Gaona and Rosalía Mera Goyenechea in 1975. Their first shop was in central A Coruña, in Galicia, Spain, where the company is still based. They initially called it 'Zorba' after the classic 1964 film Zorba the Greek, but after learning there was a bar with the same name two blocks away, rearranged the letters to read 'Zara'. It is believed the extra 'a' came from an additional set of letters that had been made for the company.[6][7] It sold low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end clothing fashions. They subsequently opened more shops in Spain. During the 1980s, Zara changed the design, manufacturing, and distribution process to reduce lead times and react more quickly to new trends using information technology and groups of designers rather than individuals.
Expansion
The first shop outside Spain was opened in 1988 in Porto, Portugal.[8] In 1989, the company entered the United States, and then France in 1990.[9] During the 1990s, Zara expanded to Mexico (1992),[10] Greece, Belgium, Sweden (1993), Israel (1997) and Brazil (1999).[11]
In the 2000s, Zara opened its first stores in Japan and Singapore (2002); Ireland, Venezuela, Russia and Malaysia (2003);[12][13][14]
Corporate affairs
The key trends for Zara (including Zara Home) are as at the financial year ending 31 January:[48]
Visual identity
Products
Zara stores have men's and women's clothing as well as children's clothing (Zara Kids). Zara Home designs are located in European stores. The majority of Zara customers are aged between 18 and about 35. After products are designed, they take 10 to 15 days to reach the stores.[52] All of the clothing is processed through the distribution center in Spain. New items are inspected, sorted, tagged, and loaded into trucks. In most cases, the clothing is delivered within 48 hours. Zara produces over 450 million items per year.[53]
Zara also includes accessories, shoes, swimwear, beauty and perfumes.
In May 2021, Zara launched its first beauty line, ZARA Beauty.[54]
Under its Zara Home line, Zara launched what is believed to be the first detergent that reduces the abrasion of textile microfibres during washing. It is claimed the solution, jointly developed by Inditex and BASF Home Care and I&I Solutions Europe in Spain and Germany, can reduce the release of microfibres by up to 80 percent, depending on fabric type and washing conditions.[55]
Manufacturing and distribution
Reportedly, Zara needs just one week to develop a new product and get it to stores, compared to the six-month industry average, and makes roughly 40,000 designs of which around 12,000 new designs are selected and produced each year.[56] Zara has a policy of zero advertising;[6] the company preferred to invest a percentage of revenues in opening new stores instead.[57]
Zara set up its own factory in La Coruña (a city known for its textile industry) in 1980 and upgraded to reverse milk-run-type production and distribution facilities in 1990. This approach, designed by Toyota Motor Corp., was called the just-in-time (JIT) system.[58] It enabled the company to establish a business model that allows self-containment throughout the stages of materials, manufacture, product completion, and distribution to stores worldwide within just a few days.[59][58]
Controversies
Alleged antisemitic imagery
In 2007, Zara withdrew a handbag from its shelves after a customer noticed a swastika on the bag's design. The bag came from an external supplier, and Zara claimed the symbol was not visible when the handbag was chosen. Zara withdrew the product from stores, and spokesperson Susan Suett said the bag would not have been sourced had the symbol been apparent.[75]
In August 2014, Zara received criticism for selling a toddler T-shirt for closely resembling uniforms worn by Jewish concentration camp inmates. The T-shirt was striped and featured a yellow star similar to the Star of David. Zara said, the design was inspired by "sheriff's stars from the classic western films". Zara removed the shirt from sale a few hours, after they appeared for sale, and apologized.[76] Zara received criticism for selling the T-shirt in Israel because the country does not have sheriffs. Additionally, the word "Sheriff" is outlined in transparent letters on the bright yellow star.[76] The Anti-Defamation League responded to the shirt, saying that it was offensive, but welcomed Zara's recognition of the potential imagery and removing the shirt from sale.
Stores
As of November 2021, there were 2,264 stores across 96 countries.[108]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2020, Zara stores worldwide closed temporarily due to restrictions. However, in April 2020 Zara's owner ramped up shipment to Asia as China ended its lockdown after 76 days.[109]
See also
Explanatory notes
External links
References
- inditex.com^
- Global stretch The Economist, 10 March 2011, retrieved 5 November 2015^
- ZARA United States www.zara.com, retrieved 2019-07-27^