Zara (retailer)

Amancio Ortega opened the first Zara store in 1975 in central A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. Ortega initially named the store Zorba after the classic film Zorba the Greek, but after learning there was a bar with the same name two blocks away, they rearranged the letters molded for the sign to "Zara". It is believed extra "a" came from an additional set of letters that had been made for the company.[8][9] The first store featured low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end clothing fashions. Ortega opened additional stores throughout Spain. During the 1980s, Ortega changed the design, manufacturing, and distribution process to reduce lead times and react to new trends in a quicker way, which he called "instant fashions". The improvements included the use of information technologies and using groups of designers instead of individuals.

In 1985, Amancio Ortega set up a parent company for Zara before going for the global expansion, and in 1988, the company started its international expansion through Porto, Portugal.[10] In 1989, it entered the United States, and then France in 1990.[11] During the 1990s, Zara expanded to Mexico (1992),[12] Greece, Belgium and Sweden (1993). In the early 2000s, Zara opened its first stores in Brazil (2000), Japan and Singapore (2002), Russia and Malaysia (2003),[13][14][15] China,[16] Morocco,[17] Estonia,[18] Hungary[19] and Romania (2004),[20] the Philippines,[14] Costa Rica[21] and Indonesia (2005),[22] South Korea (2008),[23] India (2010),[24] Taiwan and South Africa and Australia (2011).[25][26]

On September 2010, Zara launched its online boutique. The website began in Spain, the UK, Portugal, Italy, Germany and France.[27] In November that same year, Zara Online extended the service to five more countries: Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.[28] Online stores began operating in the United States in 2011,[29] Russia and Canada in 2013,[30][31][32] Mexico in 2014,[33] South Korea in 2014,[34][35] Romania in 2016,[36] India in 2017 and Brazil in 2019.

Zara introduced the use of RFID technology in its stores in 2014. The RFID chips are located in the security tags which are removed from clothing when it is purchased and can be reused. The chip allows the company to quickly take an inventory by detecting radio signals from the RFID tags. When an item is sold, the stockroom is immediately notified so that the item can be replaced. An item that is not on the shelf can easily be found with the RFID tag.[37]

In 2015, Zara was ranked 30 on Interbrand's list of best global brands.[38]

In 2019, Zara had updated the logo.[39]

In 2019 the Global Fashion Business Journal stated that while the textile commerce of the world had gone down by 2.38%, Zara had risen 2.17%.[40]

In 2019, Chief Executive Persson said the brand is waiting for more acceptable global rent levels to continue their expansion. In Europe, the brand will be cutting the number of locations the next year.[41]

In 2011, Greenpeace started a dialog with Zara to ban toxics from the clothing production.[53] Greenpeace published its "Toxic threads: the big fashion stitch-up" report in November 2012 as part of its Detox Campaign identifying companies that use toxic substances in their manufacturing processes.[54] Nine days after the report was published, Zara committed to eradicating all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire supply chain and products by 2020.[55] Zara became the biggest retailer in the world to raise awareness for the Detox Campaign,[56] and switched to a fully toxic-free production.[53]

In 2016, BBC News stated they found evidence of child labour and exploitation in factories in Turkey. Zara replied that there were some issues in June 2016 in one single factory and - instead of solving these 'issues' immediately, they have given a period of six months to solve them.[57]

In 2007, Zara withdrew a handbag from their 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.[58]

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 "the sheriff's stars from the classic western films". Zara removed the shirt from sale a few hours after they appeared for sale, and apologized.[59] 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.[59] 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.[60]

Zara store in Columbus, Ohio

In August 2011, a Brazilian television show accused the company of using sweatshops for their outsourced production. The Regional Superintendency of Labour and Employment of São Paulo, Brazil, closed a factory that produced Zara's clothing for its poor labour conditions.[61] Zara's representatives said the accusations of slave labour made against the retailer represent a breach of the code of conduct for workshops of Inditex. The company also states factories responsible for unauthorized outsourcing have been asked to regularize immediately the situation of the workers involved.[62]

In September 2013, Bangladeshi garment workers for suppliers to Zara and its parent company, Inditex, protested following the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse, demanding a US$100 a month minimum wage. [63] Inditex does not publicly disclose the factories that produce their branded clothing. [64]

In November 2017, customers shopping at Zara stores in Istanbul, Turkey, found handwritten notes purportedly from Turkish workers in the pockets of in-store garments asking shoppers to pressure Zara into paying them unpaid wages.[65] The company clarified the unpaid wages were due to a third-party manufacturer, who had failed to pay their employees. The company said they would help to provide compensation to employees who weren't paid.[66] In the agreement, only factory-floor employees were compensated, with "white-collar" employees not covered by the agreement.[67]

In July 2016, complaints were made against Zara that they had been stealing designs from multiple independent designers for their products. One of the designers, Tuesday Bassen, who previously worked with brands including Urban Outfitters and Nike, contacted Zara. The company responded Bassen's designs were not distinctive enough, and they received only a handful of complaints given the large volume of traffic they receive on their site. When the news was eventually picked up by media outlets, and Inditex, Zara's owning company, was asked to comment on the issue, Inditex replied that the items in question have been suspended from sale, and that they are in contact with Bassen's lawyer to clarify and address the issue.[68][69]

As of April 2018, MaXhosa by Laduma is taking legal action against Zara for copying its designs.[70] Zara responded to complaints from the designer by removing socks that resembled his artistic style.[71]

In January 2018, Shanghai's internet authority summoned representatives of Zara, chastising the company for listing Taiwan as a "country" and ordering it to rectify the situation immediately.[72]

In June 2018, a Zara jacket with "I really don't care, do U?" emblazoned on the back became controversial after it was worn by Melania Trump when she visited a detention center for migrant children separated from their parents.[73]

In September 2019, Zara issued a statement expressing its support of the "one country, two systems" policy adopted by China in ruling Hong Kong, and its disapproval of anti-government strikes.[74]