FASHION Magazine

If ever a retail wiz there was, the omnipotent Zara is one because, well, the list is a lengthy one. There’s the dominating presence of its 1,763 stores worldwide, and that’s not including its offspring, Zara Kids and Zara Home. There’s its notoriously media-shy founder, Amancio Ortega, who keeps a low profile despite being the world’s fourth-richest person. And there’s the miraculous way the brand has weathered the recession with record profits and continued expansion, not to mention its disparate cult of loyal followers that includes the Duchess of Cambridge, Garance Doré and the girl next door. And although the brand has made enemies of high-end designers who have accused it of lifting designs directly from runways, the company has yet to be successfully challenged. But none of these achievements can be credited to any advertising smoke and mirrors: Zara doesn’t do splashy billboards or TV spots.

So when I received a rare invitation to visit the retailer’s gated headquarters, I double clicked “yes.” As someone who lacks neither the courage to wear a Balenciaga bra top nor the heart to don Céline’s palazzo pants but perhaps the funds to do so, I was eager to meet my great and powerful fast fashion maker.