This year, on all continents, an unusually warm autumn has stood out, which made everyone happy, except for clothing stores, where the autumn collection remained untouched by customers. Most of the fashion retail chains suffered losses, but not Zara - this company was rescued by the "instant fashion" system.
Probably everyone knows the Zara brand. Network stores, like McDonald's, have spread all over the world and are located on the main streets of the largest cities in all corners of the planet. With over 2,000 stores on every continent, Zara is one of the largest clothing retailers in the world.
In a few years of overwhelming success, Zara has become the largest textile concern Inditex, which includes the brands Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home, Uterqüe and the Tempe shoe division.
In total, the Inditex concern has 6,460 outlets around the world, employing more than 120,000 people.
"Instant Fashion"
Zara has revolutionized the fashion world and the textile industry, giving birth to the very concept of "instant fashion". What is it and what is the uniqueness of such a business scheme?
In most textile companies, the production cycle of clothes takes about 8 months - this period includes design development, fabric search, fabric dyeing, sewing a model, receipt of a collection in a store. And at Zara, this process takes just 2 weeks. Inditex has its own design team of around 400 professionals. They create inexpensive clothing designs based on the latest high fashion trends in a very short time. Such a system allows you to quickly update the entire range of stores, quickly remove unpopular models from production and refine the design of existing ones at the request of consumers.
Thus, Zara always keeps abreast of fashion, one of the first to respond to new trends and customer wishes. Customers are looking forward to the days of new deliveries to stores - "Day-Z". It happens that clothes are swept off the shelves in a few hours, and the updated collection is sold out completely. No wonder the fashion director of fashion house Louis Vuitton Daniel Piet described Zara as "perhaps the most innovative and crushing retail chain in the world."
All retailers in the world dream of such annual attendance as Zara. For example, the average store in Spain, located on one of the central streets of the city, expects to see one customer 3 times a year, and for Zara this figure is 17 times a year!
Inditex is one of the few companies that has resisted the temptation to move all its clothing production to countries with cheap labor. Less than a quarter - 24% of production - is made in China, Morocco, Bangladesh and Turkey. The rest of the products are produced in the north of Spain and Portugal.
But, wherever a thing is produced, each item of the Inditex range passes through Spain. Designers and experts in the company's main studio in Arteijo (Galicia) first check the quality of products, and only then send the goods to the entire retail network, including China.
A similar system applies to the installation of shops and showcases of the brand. All materials go through the main office.
Of course, this requires a large staff - 6,000 people from 30 countries work in the studio, factory and warehouses in Arteiho.
Business development
The secret of Inditex's success is fast response and smooth communication between designers, factories and store managers.
In fact, the store manager, who sends reports to Inditex headquarters twice a week based on sales data and customer surveys, is a key figure in a successful business scheme. That is why Inditex managers receive a much higher salary than their competitors, as well as large bonuses at the end of the month.
Zara stores have not needed advertising for a long time, so the money saved on promotion is invested in the opening of new outlets and in the development of projects and brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Bershka.
While main competitor H&M runs expensive advertising campaigns, Zara prefers to invest in high-quality and expensive shop windows that can even be compared with those of luxury brands such as Dior and Prada.
However, Zara has a somewhat dismissive attitude not only towards advertising, but also towards journalists. It was far from the first attempt to get comments from Zara representatives - several times, to inquiries and calls from the editorial office to the company's main office, public relations representatives answered that Inditex's corporate policy does not allow comments. However, especially for New Retail, Zara experts nevertheless reported several important facts.
According to representatives of Inditex, in the nine months of 2014 (from February to October), retail sales, including the turnover of the Zara online store, increased by 10.5%. And in the period from November 1 to December 8, sales growth was 14%.
As for business in Russia, according to Inditex CEO Pablo Isla, it is developing properly, and the company does not plan significant changes in the market development strategy.
Regarding the recent closure of the Zara flagship store on Tverskaya, representatives of the fashion brand note that "its commercial activity has been absorbed by the activity of other Zara stores nearby." However, as previously reported by the media, Zara representatives did not come to an agreement with tenants on a new amount for rent on Tverskaya Street.
At the origins of the brand
The history of the world brand began, as it often happens, from the desire of one simple poor person, gifted with willpower, patience, and organizational skills, to get ahead and offer the world something new.
Today, the founder of the network, Amancio Ortega Gaona, the wealthiest man in Spain, is in fourth place in the list of the richest people on the planet with a capital of 64 billion dollars.
Gaona was born in the small town of the Spanish province of Lyon in the family of a railway worker and a servant. Due to poverty, Amancio could not even finish high school and from the age of 13 worked as a courier in a shirt shop. Then, in 1950, he was hired by the haberdashery La Maja, where his brother Antonio, sister Pepita and Rosalia Mera, who would later become his first wife, were already working.
At the age of fourteen, Amancio followed his family to La Coruña in the province of Galicia, where he became an apprentice with an Italian fashion designer. The owner of the atelier once said to the father of the future fashion magnate: “You know, a tailor will not work out of him, a tailor should be easy, sociable.” The owner of the atelier was right, and so in the 1960s, Amancio became a manager in one of the stores.
In 1972, at the age of 37, Amancio opened his own knitwear factory. At first, together with his first wife Rosalia Mera, he sewed bathrobes, nightgowns and lingerie right in the living room of his own house.
Rosalia Mera, first wife of Amancio Ortega Gaona
In 1975, the couple opened their own shop on one of the central streets of A Coruña to save their business after a German customer canceled an order for a large batch of linen, in which Amansi invested all his free capital. The store was originally named Zorba after their favorite character Anthony Quinn from the movie Zorba the Greek, however, due to registration issues, the store had to be renamed Zara.
Amancio Ortega realized before the Chinese that it was possible to make copies of the best models of clothes from famous couturiers, and sell them several times cheaper. The idea proved successful, and Zara stores opened at an incredible rate throughout Spain.
In the 80s, José Maria Castellano joined the Ortega team, with whom Gaona came up with an innovative “instant fashion” business system, an obligatory component of which was his own design studio. The studio was named Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., or Inditex.
Inditex head office in Galicia (Spain)
In 1988, the first Zara store was opened abroad - it was a store in Porto (Portugal). And then began the conquest of the United States, France and - gradually - the whole world.
If the business went uphill and Inditex in a short time caught up and overtook its main competitors, including H&M, in terms of production and income, then the family affairs of the creator of Zara did not go well.
In 1985, Amancio Ortega divorced his first wife, Rosalia Mera, who went through the first and most difficult years of the business with him. From this marriage there were two children - Sandra and Marcos. The latter, unfortunately, was born with a severe form of disability.
Marta Ortega Perez, youngest daughter of Amancio Ortega Gaon
Rosalia has a 7% stake in Inditex after the divorce. She died in mid-August 2013 at the age of 69 from a stroke, her fortune passed to her daughter, Sandra Ortega Mera, who is now considered one of the richest women in Spain.
After the divorce, the founder of Zara brought fate to his assistant Flores Perez Marcote, with whom they still live in perfect harmony. The couple have a daughter, Marta Ortega Perez, who works for her father's company. She is responsible for the youth brand Bershka, part of Inditex.
A few years ago, 78-year-old Amancio Ortega left the chairmanship of Inditex, handing over the reins to the younger generation.
Amancio Ortega lives in a rather modest mansion for one of the richest people in the world in A Coruña in northern Spain, where he opened the first Zara store many years ago. The billionaire leads an extremely closed life, not wanting to communicate not only with journalists, but even with the King of Spain, Philip, who repeatedly invited him to royal receptions.
They say that the creator of “instant fashion” still likes to come to lunch at the main office of Inditex, apparently in order to once again be amazed at how large his brainchild has grown and continues to grow.
Daria Tkacheva was interested in the history of the brand
This year, on all continents, an unusually warm autumn has stood out, which made everyone happy, except for clothing stores, where the autumn collection remained untouched by customers. Most of the fashion retail chains suffered losses, but not Zara - this company was rescued by the "instant fashion" system.
Probably everyone knows the Zara brand. Network stores, like McDonald's, have spread all over the world and are located on the main streets of the largest cities in all corners of the planet. With over 2,000 stores on every continent, Zara is one of the largest clothing retailers in the world.
In a few years of overwhelming success, Zara has become the largest textile concern Inditex, which includes the brands Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home, Uterqüe and the Tempe shoe division.
In total, the Inditex concern has 6,460 outlets around the world, employing more than 120,000 people.
"Instant Fashion"
Zara has revolutionized the fashion world and the textile industry, giving birth to the very concept of "instant fashion". What is it and what is the uniqueness of such a business scheme?
In most textile companies, the production cycle of clothes takes about 8 months - this period includes design development, fabric search, fabric dyeing, sewing a model, receipt of a collection in a store. And at Zara, this process takes just 2 weeks. Inditex has its own design team of around 400 professionals. They create inexpensive clothing designs based on the latest high fashion trends in a very short time. Such a system allows you to quickly update the entire range of stores, quickly remove unpopular models from production and refine the design of existing ones at the request of consumers.
Thus, Zara always keeps abreast of fashion, one of the first to respond to new trends and customer wishes. Customers are looking forward to the days of new deliveries to stores - "Day-Z". It happens that clothes are swept off the shelves in a few hours, and the updated collection is sold out completely. No wonder the fashion director of fashion house Louis Vuitton Daniel Piet described Zara as "perhaps the most innovative and crushing retail chain in the world."
All retailers in the world dream of such annual attendance as Zara. For example, the average store in Spain, located on one of the central streets of the city, expects to see one customer 3 times a year, and for Zara this figure is 17 times a year!
Inditex is one of the few companies that has resisted the temptation to move all its clothing production to countries with cheap labor. Less than a quarter - 24% of production - is made in China, Morocco, Bangladesh and Turkey. The rest of the products are produced in the north of Spain and Portugal.
But, wherever a thing is produced, each item of the Inditex range passes through Spain. Designers and experts in the company's main studio in Arteijo (Galicia) first check the quality of products, and only then send the goods to the entire retail network, including China.
A similar system applies to the installation of shops and showcases of the brand. All materials go through the main office.
Of course, this requires a large staff - 6,000 people from 30 countries work in the studio, factory and warehouses in Arteiho.
Business development
The secret of Inditex's success is fast response and smooth communication between designers, factories and store managers.
In fact, the store manager, who sends reports to Inditex headquarters twice a week based on sales data and customer surveys, is a key figure in a successful business scheme. That is why Inditex managers receive a much higher salary than their competitors, as well as large bonuses at the end of the month.
Zara stores have not needed advertising for a long time, so the money saved on promotion is invested in the opening of new outlets and in the development of projects and brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Bershka.
While main competitor H&M runs expensive advertising campaigns, Zara prefers to invest in high-quality and expensive shop windows that can even be compared with those of luxury brands such as Dior and Prada.
However, Zara has a somewhat dismissive attitude not only towards advertising, but also towards journalists. It was far from the first attempt to get comments from Zara representatives - several times, to inquiries and calls from the editorial office to the company's main office, public relations representatives answered that Inditex's corporate policy does not allow comments. However, especially for New Retail, Zara experts nevertheless reported several important facts.
According to representatives of Inditex, in the nine months of 2014 (from February to October), retail sales, including the turnover of the Zara online store, increased by 10.5%. And in the period from November 1 to December 8, sales growth was 14%.
As for business in Russia, according to Inditex CEO Pablo Isla, it is developing properly, and the company does not plan significant changes in the market development strategy.
Regarding the recent closure of the Zara flagship store on Tverskaya, representatives of the fashion brand note that "its commercial activity has been absorbed by the activity of other Zara stores nearby." However, as previously reported by the media, Zara representatives did not come to an agreement with tenants on a new amount for rent on Tverskaya Street.
At the origins of the brand
The history of the world brand began, as it often happens, from the desire of one simple poor person, gifted with willpower, patience, and organizational skills, to get ahead and offer the world something new.
Today, the founder of the network, Amancio Ortega Gaona, the wealthiest man in Spain, is in fourth place in the list of the richest people on the planet with a capital of 64 billion dollars.
Gaona was born in the small town of the Spanish province of Lyon in the family of a railway worker and a servant. Due to poverty, Amancio could not even finish high school and from the age of 13 worked as a courier in a shirt shop. Then, in 1950, he was hired by the haberdashery La Maja, where his brother Antonio, sister Pepita and Rosalia Mera, who would later become his first wife, were already working.
At the age of fourteen, Amancio followed his family to La Coruña in the province of Galicia, where he became an apprentice with an Italian fashion designer. The owner of the atelier once said to the father of the future fashion magnate: “You know, a tailor will not work out of him, a tailor should be easy, sociable.” The owner of the atelier was right, and so in the 1960s, Amancio became a manager in one of the stores.
In 1972, at the age of 37, Amancio opened his own knitwear factory. At first, together with his first wife Rosalia Mera, he sewed bathrobes, nightgowns and lingerie right in the living room of his own house.
Rosalia Mera, first wife of Amancio Ortega Gaona
In 1975, the couple opened their own shop on one of the central streets of A Coruña to save their business after a German customer canceled an order for a large batch of linen, in which Amansi invested all his free capital. The store was originally named Zorba after their favorite character Anthony Quinn from the movie Zorba the Greek, however, due to registration issues, the store had to be renamed Zara.
Amancio Ortega realized before the Chinese that it was possible to make copies of the best models of clothes from famous couturiers, and sell them several times cheaper. The idea proved successful, and Zara stores opened at an incredible rate throughout Spain.
In the 80s, José Maria Castellano joined the Ortega team, with whom Gaona came up with an innovative “instant fashion” business system, an obligatory component of which was his own design studio. The studio was named Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., or Inditex.
Inditex head office in Galicia (Spain)
In 1988, the first Zara store was opened abroad - it was a store in Porto (Portugal). And then began the conquest of the United States, France and - gradually - the whole world.
If the business went uphill and Inditex in a short time caught up and overtook its main competitors, including H&M, in terms of production and income, then the family affairs of the creator of Zara did not go well.
In 1985, Amancio Ortega divorced his first wife, Rosalia Mera, who went through the first and most difficult years of the business with him. From this marriage there were two children - Sandra and Marcos. The latter, unfortunately, was born with a severe form of disability.
Marta Ortega Perez, youngest daughter of Amancio Ortega Gaon
Rosalia has a 7% stake in Inditex after the divorce. She died in mid-August 2013 at the age of 69 from a stroke, her fortune passed to her daughter, Sandra Ortega Mera, who is now considered one of the richest women in Spain.
After the divorce, the founder of Zara brought fate to his assistant Flores Perez Marcote, with whom they still live in perfect harmony. The couple have a daughter, Marta Ortega Perez, who works for her father's company. She is responsible for the youth brand Bershka, part of Inditex.
A few years ago, 78-year-old Amancio Ortega left the chairmanship of Inditex, handing over the reins to the younger generation.
Amancio Ortega lives in a rather modest mansion for one of the richest people in the world in A Coruña in northern Spain, where he opened the first Zara store many years ago. The billionaire leads an extremely closed life, not wanting to communicate not only with journalists, but even with the King of Spain, Philip, who repeatedly invited him to royal receptions.
They say that the creator of “instant fashion” still likes to come to lunch at the main office of Inditex, apparently in order to once again be amazed at how large his brainchild has grown and continues to grow.
Daria Tkacheva was interested in the history of the brand
24.05.2014 / 530
Interesting information about the brand Zara TRF. Reference data about the trademark Zara TRF.
The success of the brand was ensured by a special concept developed by its founder.
Zara whose brand
The secret is that Zara designers are focused on copying the most successful models from leading fashion houses. There was no spending on advertising and demonstration of products, which had a beneficial effect on the price of the final product.
The Russian brand ZARINA is known all over the world to the fair sex. In St. Petersburg in 1993, CJSC "Pervomaiskaya Zarya" for the first time in Russia begins the production of fashionable women's clothing. A company store called "Zarina" is opened, through which the manufactured products are sold.
The best fashion designers of the city were involved in creating the collections.
The production of models for obese women called "Big Beautiful" has been launched. The brand wins the love of many women. Thus, in 1995, the Club of Regular Customers appeared, which today unites about 10,000 women. Since 1997, the plus size clothing collection has become known as Zarina-Plus.
In 2002, the ZARINA logo was registered, large investments began to come in, fashion shows were held, and the first online store for wholesale buyers was opened. In 2005, the fashion direction is separated from the business of Pervomaiskaya Zarya CJSC and Melon Fashion Group OJSC is formed.
What You Were Afraid to Ask: What does the TRF section at Zara really mean?
Since 2006, an international group of designers and fashion designers has been working on the creation of fashionable clothes, led by French fashion designer Jeanne Philippe Boyer. With the participation of Russian designer Irina Melnikova and fashion designer Susan Lassen from Denmark, the fit of models was developed taking into account the peculiarities of the figures of Russian women.
Annual seasonal collections are presented according to the wardrobe principle, where all models of clothing are combined with each other within the collection and with the outfits of past seasons. This allows you to create a variety of clothing combinations, complementing them with stylish accessories (Accessories) within the collections. This approach allows customers to save the budget, look fashionable and modern.
ZARINA today
In many regions of Russia, more than 130 branded stores are open, where models of different trends and colors are presented. Therefore, it is easy for a customer to choose an elegant item in her favorite style: business (Business), casual (Basic) or classic (Zoom). The age category for which stylish clothes are oriented is a confident middle-aged woman who prefers a classic style. Since 2012, Flash models have been developed for a young and dynamic target audience. ZARINA helps to create a unique image for every woman.
Zara, the flagship retailer of the Inditex Group, is owned by Spanish magnate Amancio Ortega, who also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterque, Stradivarius and Bershka. The head office is located in A Coruña, Spain, where the first store was opened in 1975. Zara is said to take just 2 weeks from design to launch of a new line, compared to the industry average of 6 months. Moreover, over 10,000 new designs are developed throughout the year.
Zara was able to resist the widespread trend in the clothing industry to locate production sites in countries with low production costs. Perhaps they chose the most unusual strategy - advertising costs, the company preferred to invest part of the profits in opening new outlets.
Louis Vuitton fashion director Daniel Piet described Zara as "Possibly the most innovative and disruptive retail chain in the world." Zara has also been described by CNN as "The Spanish Success Story".
The founder of Zara, Amancio Ortega, opened the first Zara store in 1975. The first store was located on the main street in A Coruña. Due to the success of the Zara concept, the company began to expand and subsequently opened new stores.
Their first store featured look-alikes of well-known fashion houses at low prices. The store proved a success for the company, and Ortega began opening new Zara stores throughout Spain. In the early 1980s, Ortega began to develop a new model for the process of product design and distribution. The apparel industry has typically used a production scheme that took almost 6 months from initial design to the sale of garments. This scheme significantly limited manufacturers and distributors to 2-3 collections per year. Trying to anticipate the tastes and preferences of consumers entailed inherent difficulties, because both manufacturers and distributors were constantly at risk of being left with unsold goods.
Ortega was looking for a way to break out of this "design-diffusion" scheme by creating what he called "instant fashion" that would enable him to quickly respond to changing consumer tastes and new emerging trends. His dream remained unfulfilled until he met Jose Maria Castellano (Jose Maria Castellano). An Information Technology Specialist, Castellano worked in the Information Technology Department of Aegon Espana's before becoming CFO of ConAgra Spain. Castellano joined Ortega in 1984 and set about developing a distribution scheme that would go on to revolutionize the global apparel industry.
Thanks to Castellano's new computerized scheme, the company was able to reduce the time from design to sale of clothing to 10-15 days. Instead of putting all the work on one designer, they created their own internal team of designers - more than 200 by the end of the 20th century - who worked on creating clothes based on popular fashion clothes, while developing the company's own designs. Moving along a set course, the team could instantly respond to new consumer trends and, at the same time, satisfy the needs of their customers, improving existing models with new colors and materials. Modernized production and inventory procedures, and the installation of a new inventory computer program that linked stores and an expanding network of production outlets, protected the company from the risks and financial losses from producing and storing large quantities of returnable goods.
The flexible and more responsive policy of the company, which took the name Industria de Diseno Textil S.A., or Inditex, in 1985, captured the attention of Spanish buyers. By the end of the decade, the company had opened more than 80 stores in Spain. The instant fashion format, in which the entire range of stores was updated every 2 weeks, encouraged customers to return to the store more often, especially on the days of delivery of the item, dubbed “Day-Z” in some markets. The understanding that the models would be on sale for a limited time also urged customers to shop faster.
The success of Zara in Spain brought Inditex to the international market in the late 80s. They opened their first overseas store in 1988 in Porto, Portugal. The following year, Inditex moved to the US. But success in the market cannot be predicted - by the beginning of 2000, the company opened only 6 stores in the States. A much more suitable market for the Zara format was France, where they entered in 1990. The company very quickly began to open more and more outlets in major cities across the country.
During the 90s, Inditex continuously filled more and more new markets. In 92 the company entered Mexico, 93 Greece, 92 Belgium and Sweden, 95 Malta, 96 Cyprus. In the late 90's Inditex made their international expansion into Israel, Mexico, Turkey and Japan in 1997, then in 1998 they moved on to Argentina, the UK and Venezuela. While most of the stores were owned by the company, in some markets, such as the Middle East, agreements were made with local distributors on franchise buyouts. By 2000, Inditex added more than a dozen countries to its list of countries of presence, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe, including Poland.
Order the creation of a brand in the branding and graphic design studio LogoMaster Studio
You can by phone:
38 044 229-28-22.
Full contact information in the "Contacts" section.
Return to the page "Legends of brands"
Logo design, logo creation, corporate identity creation, corporate identity development is our favorite work!
Zara TRF
24.05.2014 / 530
Interesting information about the brand Zara TRF.
Reference data about the trademark Zara TRF.
Zara TRF (Trafaluc) is a youth clothing line of the popular Spanish brand Zara.
The history of the brand is associated with the name of Amancio Ortega Gaon. Coming from a poor family, he created an atelier for tailoring exquisite but inexpensive underwear. Things were going great until one of the buyers canceled a large order that cost Amancio everything. Saving the business, he opens his own store and thereby lays the foundation for a future successful company. It happened in 1975 in the town of La Coruña, which still remains the location of the company's head office.
The company was expected to succeed, the sales network was steadily expanding, spreading throughout the territory of Spain. In 1988, Zara entered the global market by opening outlets in Portugal, the United States and France. Further growth in the number of branded stores accelerated, boutiques began to appear in Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Great Britain, Mexico and the Middle East. The number of stores around the world exceeds 1800. This is due to the fact that the brand preferred an extensive advertising campaign to increase the number of sites for the sale of products.
The bulk of retail facilities are directly owned by the company, only the Middle East market is at the mercy of distributors from among local entrepreneurs through franchises.
The success of the brand was ensured by a special concept developed by its founder. The secret is that Zara designers are focused on copying the most successful models from leading fashion houses. There was no spending on advertising and demonstration of products, which had a beneficial effect on the price of the final product.
Another feature is the frequent and very fast updating of the model range. From the beginning of product development to its appearance on the store shelf, no more than 15 days pass. As a result, the assortment is completely updated twice a month. This speed is possible thanks to the coordinated work of several hundred designers. Moreover, all clothes are sewn in Europe, only accessories and shoes are delivered from India and China.
Among the numerous clothing lines for women, men and children, a special place is occupied by the youth direction, Zara TRF. Within its framework, products are produced aimed at consumers under the age of 25 years. The main styles of the collections are casual, sport-chic and club. Models are distinguished by bright colors, creative design, natural materials. The product range includes everything you need to create a complete image: clothes, accessories, shoes. The main idea is self-expression through fashionable and inexpensive things.
Official website: http://www.zara.com/ru/ru/trf-c358509.html.
Brands
Zara
The popular Spanish brand Zara specializes in the production of men's, women's and children's clothing, shoes and accessories. The brand belongs to the huge corporation Inditex Group. All companies of the corporation are owned by billionaire Amancio Ortega Gaona, who is one of the ten richest people in the world. The brand owner's fortune is estimated at $30 billion.
History of brand development
Amancio Gaona was born in the province of Spain, his parents were not rich people. His father worked as a railway worker all his life, his mother worked on the housework. As a teenager, Amancio had to get a job as a messenger in a shop that sold men's shirts. Later, the young man got a job in a haberdashery store, and then decided to open his own business.
After marriage, the Spaniard begins to keep wholesale warehouses and opens his own production of children's bathrobes. Direct distribution of products allowed the businessman to ensure the low cost of products. Further copying of clothes and underwear of famous world brands was the beginning of the whole future concept of the Zara trademark.
In the mid-seventies, the Spaniard opened his first store, which presented collections of items copied from famous fashion houses. However, Zara items were much cheaper.
Creation of a system and development of boutiques
Soon, Amancio and his wife open a chain of stores throughout the country. The businessman managed to develop a unique system of production and further sales. The brand's products were sold at a very affordable price, while possessing a fairly high quality. The innovative system of Amancio Gaon was subsequently studied by Harvard specialists.
In the 80s-90s, Gaona opened stores in other countries. His boutiques appear on the main streets of the capital of Portugal and France. This was followed by the development of boutiques in England. Mexico, Greece, in the post-Soviet countries.
Today, the Zara brand is one of the best-selling brands in the world. Frequent updates of clothing lines are a hallmark of the company. Hundreds of designers are working on the development of new models. In 2011, Amancio Gaona stepped down from the board of the company. However, his stake in Inditex makes up the majority of his fortune. The Spaniard plans to transfer a stake to his eldest daughter.
Brand Features
Democratic pricing policy is the main difference of the Zara brand. The company's clothing belongs to the category of average prices, which makes it successfully sold all over the world. The brand does not hold its own fashion shows, which allows significant savings on the final cost of products.
The manufacturer uses the principle of "instant fashion" in the production of its collections. From the development of the design of the model and its release, no more than 15 days pass. The company's team includes more than two hundred people who, when developing new clothing models, always take into account new fashion concepts. The success of the brand ensures the resemblance to clothes from the world's catwalks. The main direction of the brand is youth style and classics.
The company produces clothing in small batches. At the same time, both industrial production and home-based production are used. The brand cooperates with thirty manufacturers of fittings and materials. Today, branded boutiques update their clothing collections twice a week. The brand is characterized by fast delivery and a franchise system. There are forty Zara boutiques open in Russia. All of them adhere to the concept of the brand.
Zara brand collections
Zara clothing lines are in many ways similar to pret-a-porter clothing. The brand produces lines designed for both a youth audience and older buyers. The Zara Women line is distinguished from other collections by the special elegance and comfort of products. Almost all models are focused on the middle age and are intended for women under 45 years old.
Another notable line is Zara Basic. Youth models are designed for boys and girls up to 25 years old. Products belong to the club and sports style. Many models of the line are made in casual style. The main idea of this line is bright individuality and originality of clothes.
Clothing for men is widely represented in the Zara Man line. Most of the models in the collection are made in a business classic style. Every man will look especially elegant and presentable in such things.
The Zara Kids line of children's clothing includes original models for any child's age. All products are trendy and high quality.
The brand also launched a line of home products.
Brand criticism
The main idea of the Zara brand is to release fashion copies that conquered the catwalks. Another collection of pret-a-porter, or, to put it simply, its replica is in the brand's stores at a very affordable price.
The middle price segment of clothing allows the brand to release clothing at an incredible pace. Other enterprises can only dream of such a ruler production.
By and large, the Spanish entrepreneur simply makes his money on the ideas of world-famous designers. By copying the models of famous fashion houses, he produces exact copies of fashionable clothes at a low price.
This circumstance is especially not liked by fashion critics. The brand does not even hold its own line shows. These are the main cons of the brand. The company is just developing its own business.
Despite this circumstance, Zara clothes are sold. Fashionistas like to buy products that repeat the clothes of the great couturiers. Almost every woman can buy a beautiful dress that has won fame on the catwalks, but at a lower price.
The same applies to women's underwear. I am glad that when releasing their lines, the Zara brand makes a lot of efforts to maintain the high quality of products. The materials from which the products are made meet all standards, are quite practical and durable.
Official website of the brandZara: http://www.zara.com
Overview of the Mango collection autumn-winter 2016-2017Star style Megan FoxFashion pareos for summer 2015Men's bermuda shortsWinter jackets Adidas 2014How to wear a skirt-pants?
It specializes in the production of inexpensive wardrobe items, created, however, taking into account the latest trends in the fashion world. Both natural and synthetic materials are used. The quality varies from mediocre to good. Prices in Russia are average, in Europe they are rather low. The range is wide.
Story
Inditex was founded by Spanish entrepreneur Amancio Ortega and his wife Rosalia Mera in 1975. ZARA became the first brand of the company, the first company store was opened in the same year in the Spanish city of La Coruña. It is there that the headquarters of Inditex is located to this day.
Initially, the company was engaged in actually copying the clothes of high fashion houses. Copies were sold at low prices, which ensured ZARA popularity among low-income people who dreamed of wearing fashionable clothes. Currently, ZARA is no longer engaged in simple copying, but creates new models on its own, but taking into account the latest fashion trends.
The uniqueness of the company lies in the extremely high degree of sophistication of the production chain: clothes are created (designed) very quickly, put into production very quickly and get to retail stores. The whole process takes about two weeks, which is an extremely short time. This "fast" model was developed by Amancio Ortega and José Maria Castellano in the 1980s and made ZARA a huge success, because it became possible to react very quickly to changes in demand, to new collections of leading designers and so on.
By the end of the 80s, ZARA stores operated in 80 Spanish cities, in 1988 international expansion began - a store was opened in the city of Porto (Portugal), in 1989 the first store was opened in the USA, in 1990 - in France. Inditex and its flagship brand have grown rapidly.
In 2000, ZARA entered the Ukrainian market, and in 2003 - the Russian one. There are currently 1,671 brand stores in 76 countries around the world. In Ukraine - 9 stores, in Russia - 58.
Range
The ZARA assortment includes men's, women's and children's clothing of various styles, styles, colors. In addition, you can also find shoes (both official and casual, and even sports) and accessories in ZARA. ZARA Home stores sell bed linen and other home textiles.
Clothing is made from both inexpensive natural materials (cotton, wool, leather) and artificial ones (viscose, leatherette, polyester). Mostly budget materials are used (leather is mostly the cheapest - pig and bovine), which allows you to keep prices at a relatively low level. At the same time, it must be added that in Russia the prices in ZARA are greatly inflated, in the same Spain they are noticeably lower; in general, in Europe it is clothing rather for the poor. Therefore, I do not advise you to be proud of ZARA clothes in front of Europeans and in general in front of anyone.
One of the main advantages of ZARA is diversity. In the stores of this brand you will find a wide variety of clothes of various styles, colors and sizes. Moreover, the collections are regularly updated - something new appears approximately every two weeks.
The quality of clothes varies quite a lot: you can buy both very good things and very mediocre ones. In most cases, you can understand by the appearance of a thing whether it will last a long time, whether it will soon lose its appearance. Carefully inspect the products before buying, choose the best copy of those available.
As for men's clothing, I can say the following: ZARA has very mediocre suits (moreover, mostly made of synthetics), good, sometimes very good shirts and shirts, good jeans with a good price-quality ratio.
The quality of the shoes I would call very mediocre; for cheap shoes, mainly synthetic materials are used, as well as short-lived polished leather and velor (read more about leather types). For more expensive models, although smooth leather is used, it is usually bovine - it is tough, creases and folds may appear on it.
In any case, remember that ZARA specializes in "fast fashion", which means that customers are expected to constantly update their wardrobe, striving to follow the latest fashion trends, and not wear the same thing for years. Accordingly, ZARA clothing is simply not designed for long wear.
Personal impressions. Reviews
In my opinion, in ZARA you can find very good things - if you look. It is best to come during sales, then you can buy, for example, a good 100% cotton shirt for 600-700 rubles - this is a very attractive option. I have no complaints about ZARA shirts, their quality is quite consistent with the price (however, there are also quite ugly specimens, you have to look carefully).
But the suits are a different matter, I saw ZARA suits that lost their appearance six months after the purchase. Moreover, they are mostly synthetic, and this can be seen immediately. Their prices are not so small; By the way, this also applies to business trousers.
Online reviews vary. Many people like the opportunity to buy really bright and trendy clothes for relatively little money. Others resent the quality. On my own behalf, I can add that, for example, in Moscow, ZARA clothing is already perceived as consumer goods and with its help you are unlikely to stand out, especially in the eyes of those who wear more expensive things. If you are not interested in fashion, but just want good, modest clothes, then it’s better to go to GAP - there, of course, the design is boring, but the clothes are of high quality and durable, very wear-resistant.
Brief summary:
- Clothing styles : classic, strict casual, club casual.
- Range : almost all items of clothing (from underwear to jackets and coats; from jeans to suits), shoes (sneakers, shoes, boots), various accessories (belts, bags, etc.).
- Clothfor men, women, children . Textiles for the home.
- Dimensions : women - from XS to XXL, men - from S to XXL.
- materials : natural - cotton, wool, leather, artificial - polyester, elastane, viscose, etc.
- Price category : medium, sometimes above average (in Europe - rather lower).
- Discount program : absent.
Approximate prices (as of October 2012) for women's clothing:
- T-shirts, T-shirts - 500-2000 rubles (800 on average).
- Shirts, blouses - 1500-4600 rubles (on average - 2000-3000).
- Dress - 2000-6000 rubles.
- Skirt - 1500-5000 rubles.
- Jeans - 1900-3000 rubles.
- Pants - 1900-3000 rubles.
- Jackets - 2000-7600 rubles.
- Pullovers, cardigans, sweatshirts - from 800 (cotton) to 4600 (woolen) rubles.
- Jackets - 2000-16000 rubles.
- Raincoats - 5000-7600 rubles.
- Boots - 3800-9000 rubles.
- Low shoes, half boots - 3800-7600 rubles.
- Keds - 1400-2000 rubles.
- Shoes - 2000-4400 rubles.
- Belts, belts - 900-2600 rubles.
- Umbrella - 800-900 rubles.
- Bags - 1500-8000 rubles (average 3000-3800).
- Caps, hats - 500-1700 rubles.
- Scarves and shawls - 1000-3000 rubles.
- Gloves - from 1000 (knitwear) to 1700-2000 (leather) rubles.
- Socks - 400 rubles per pair, stockings - 600-900 rubles.
Approximate prices (as of October 2012) for men's clothing:
The creator of the greatest modern brand Zara is the Spaniard Amancio Ortega, as befits all conscientious millionaires, he comes from a poor family. In The Zara Phenomenon (hereinafter in the text the book is quoted in italics), he recalls an incident that turned his life upside down:
“I remember one afternoon after school, I went with my mother for food. I was very young, and she met me at school. Therefore, very often I went shopping with her. The store we went to was one of those big grocery stores with such a tall counter, so tall that I didn't really see who was talking to my mother, but I heard a male voice saying what I had carried through time and never forget: "Josefa, I'm sorry, but I can no longer sell you goods on credit." I was shocked. I was only 12."
Despite this, Amancio claims that he was able to achieve unprecedented heights in the industry only because he had no goal of making a lot of money:
“If it's true that I made a lot of money at Zara, it's because they were never my goal,” he told me most recently. “I’ll go further – in my opinion, anyone who takes on a business with the sole purpose of making money is not a real businessman.”
After the incident at the grocery store, Amancio Ortega dropped out of school and got a job as a sales assistant in a tailor shop - all so that the story would never happen again with his mother. Here he learns the basics of cutting, sewing and doing business:
“I didn't get an education in school. But what matters is the ability to set goals and do everything to achieve them.
Wardrobe for the fall: 14 perfect dresses for the office
- More
Years of hard work followed. At the age of 17, the future tycoon leaves for the position of assistant at La Maja, where his older brother and sister already worked. The youngster's talent was noticed and was soon promoted to manager. By the way, 16-year-old Rosalia Mera Goyenchev took his place, whom he will marry in two years.
During his time at La Maja, Amancio generated many fresh ideas. He decided to bring one of them to life himself, namely, to sew clothes by hand, but from factory-made fabric. He retired and in 1963 founded a home tailoring workshop with his brother Antonio. They had less than 20 euros on their account, but this did not frighten the young people. In a small workshop, the family produced fashionable quilted robes, which were made by Amancio's first wife and his half-sister. The guys had that same commercial streak, so things went uphill. Soon they bought and began to export clothes of other Spanish brands. And here it is already close to your retail store.
Although how to say "not far" - 10 years. The first Zara retail store was opened in 1975 on the main street in A Coruña, Amancio's hometown.
Posted by ZARA Official (@zara) Sep 21, 2016 at 1:57 PDT
5 things that will make you a style icon
- More
One collection in 10 days
Amancio originally wanted to name the company Zorba after his favorite actor Anthony Quinn's character in Zorba the Greek. But copyrighting a character's name is a stubborn thing. Zara so Zara:
“The names of networks should be in one word, because that way they are easier to remember. And it's good if they are short and sound normal in other languages. The problem is, once you've found a good word, you have to make sure it's not registered as another trademark. Sometimes it's surprisingly difficult."
The first Zara boutique featured replicas of popular fashion houses, but for less money. It gained fame among the local population - and who doesn't want, for example, a Chanel dress for a penny? So the business had to expand and open new stores.
In parallel, Amancio Ortega took care of creating a new business model, which later became a breakthrough. He was not satisfied with the fact that between the creation of the design and the sale of the collection for half a year! It was necessary to somehow speed up this process, because 2-3 collections a year is too little for an ambitious guy. José María Castellano, who joined Ortega in 1984 and took over the development of the computerized distribution scheme, played a major role in this matter. And he did it! Now the clothing line arrived on the shelves in stores in 10-15 days! Just think about these numbers: 10 days versus six months.
Example of stars: how to make a basic wardrobe
- More
How Zara works is a breakthrough!
Zara brand designers constantly study fashion magazines, attend shows
Of course, the company does not disclose all the details of its success, but it is known that only at the end of the 20th century they recruited more than 200 designers who developed collections based on current trends. A large staff, modernized production - and now the new Zara collections sell like hot cakes. By the end of 1985, the company had more than 80 own stores in Spain, in which the assortment changed every two weeks. This did not leave fashionistas time to think - to take or not to take, but, on the contrary, made them look into their favorite boutique more often.
Fashionistas all over the world love Zara because it allows you to wear something that was recently presented on the fashion catwalks. And not a year later, when the trends will descend to the common man, but at the same time to those who can afford Gucci and Dior. And the difference is almost invisible! Therefore, Zara clothes, shoes and accessories are loved by celebrities and we are with you. Everyone wants to look good and save money at the same time.
"Zara doesn't copy as some suggest, but is inspired by what it sees."
In order to stay ahead of the curve, Zara has a dedicated department that studies fashion magazines, attends shows, and cuts other brands' clothing to adopt cool cuts for their products, for example. They also travel the world, study what people wear in different countries, what colors and cuts they prefer, and what trendsetters they follow.
1 /4
Zara claims that it does not copy, but is inspired by what it sees. On the left - a piece from the Armani collection, on the right - Zara
On the left - a piece from the Gucci collection, on the right - Zara
On the left - a piece from the Dolce & Gabbana collection, on the right - Zara
On the left - a piece from the Chanel collection, on the right - Zara
Autumn trends: what bag to buy in the new season
- More
So, when you have decided on the trends, it's time to create a prototype of the collection. These things are tested on real people. Those that have passed the tests successfully fall into the hands of fashion designers who prepare patterns. Next - obtaining approval for the production of things, the search for the most profitable options for its production. Approximately 25% of the collection is produced before the start of the season.
