Fashion

Brand Profile: Zara

by Sophie Winckel

Zara is: Spanish, sophistication, style, strategic.  With a prominent international presence, this brand does not use any advertising techniques. No TV spots, no mascot celebrities, no top models, no billboards and no two page spread in Vogue.

Sherpa of the brand, 5th richest man in the world, Armancio Ortega has managed to break international borders with no advertising strategies with a brand that has allowed chic young women around the world to all share a common interest in fashionable clothing despite cultural differences.

Go to any major cosmopolitan capital of the world and you will find Zara situated in the most prime locations of every posh neighborhood worldwide. Come to Spain’s vibrant capital, Madrid and you will see that for every block you walk, you can find Zara.

The frequency of seeing Starbucks on every block in any major American city is equivalent to seeing Zara on every block of any major Spanish city.  Under the umbrella of Grupo INDITEX, Zara is its most prominent brand standing out amongst Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterquë.

Whether in London, New York City, Stockholm or Dubai, this ready-to-wear brand is a cultural thread that brings like-minded fashionistas together to share the same taste in inexpensive, yet high fashion caliber designed clothes.  Other brands in the sector take three to six months to change collections.

Girls with an appetite to wear what’s new, chic and straight off the runway can find their clothing refuge in Zara, known for changing their collections every 15 days.  The new clothes that come in create the strong client loyalty to the store, leaving customers anxious and ready to purchase the ready-to-wear collections in just a short two week span of time.

Instead of using a celebrity or producing TV spots that cost enormous amounts of money, Zara prefers to create all of its hype within the store itself. The Spanish brand has managed on its own to create an advertising-free aesthetic world with their stylish window set ups, good music and smart lighting.  The result? The clothes are inexpensive and the look is a high fashion runway all in itself.  It's true when Armancio Ortega says, "less is more."

Sophie Winckel | Elite.