Zara International
Sensitive readers with a good feel for nuance will recognize how carefully Zara has chosen the word “international.” Just as CNN forbids its correspondents to use the word “foreign,” because it subtly implies strangeness and alienation, so Zara—and its Inditex, its parent—shun both language and business practice that even vaguely hint at European or Hispanic elitism. For Zara, fashion is the international language, and global consciousness just makes good business sense. Zara’s history shows, repeatedly, how eco-friendly always has been Euro-friendly, too.
Although the interiors of Zara stores, naturally, look pretty similar in Tel Aviv and Panama City, the exteriors always show the company’s respect for local tradition and architectural history. Of course, this concept makes good fashion sense, because any designer knows the company’s look ought to look as though it belongs; but it makes even more cultural sense—the local clientele immediately will recognize how Zara has no wish to impose its design on the local landscape. Instead, Zara International wants to integrate its fashion sense into each locale.
Zara International’s most recent store opening makes the case: Inditex’s corporate website proudly proclaims, “Zara and Zara Home have opened one of their most emblematic Russian stores in the city of Saint Petersburg.” Emblematic stands out as the key word in the simple sentence, and the picture next to it on the web-page supports the choice. Except for adding their name tastefully above the door, Zara International designers have left the building’s exterior unaltered, a perfect blend with its surroundings. In the press release, Zara International does not extol the virtues of its fashion-forward merchandise or brag about its start-up St. Petersburg sales. The piece remains focused on Zara’s preservation efforts: “Mertens House…was built in 1740. [Mertens] was a prosperous fur merchant who bought the property in 1871 and hired the architect Lialevich and the sculptor Kuznetsov to renovate it, [giving it] the architectural characteristics seen today in its neoclassical style.” Another careful review of the picture reveals its distinctly neoclassical look.
Zara International has proven its commitment to global initiatives for protecting the earth and its resources: All of Zara Internationals’ worldwide production facilities recycle 100% of their fabric, cardboard, and paper. All of the plants have switched to energy saving light, heat, and cooling, reducing their energy consumption by at least 25% at every site. And one of its sites currently is piloting a co-generation plant, so that all of the steam for ironing comes from by-products of power generation. Similarly, Zara International continues pioneering sustainable fabric production, and the company is in the process of reducing each store’s carbon footprint 50% in the next two years.
When Zara says “International,” corporate strategy and practice back it up.
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