Shoppers realise Zara was originally called something else

Do YOU know how Zara got its name? Shoppers realise the fashion giant was originally called something else

By Maria Okanrende For Mailonline

Published: 11:45 BST, 12 April 2023 | Updated: 11:52 BST, 12 April 2023

Zara is a name you can spot on almost every high street in the country, but have you ever wondered where it got its name? 

The women’s fashion giant specialises in sleek and structured cuts, statement accessories and even beauty products. 

But if the origin of its glossy four-letter moniker has left you puzzled, you may be surprised to learn that the name came about by accident.

The multi-billion pound clothing chain was started by a tailor named Amancio Ortega in A Coruña Galicia, Spain, in 1975. 

And originally, he gave it a completely different name at its birth. 

Fashion lovers are only just realising how fashion retailer Zara got its name. However you may be surprised to learn that the name came about by accident as it was originally Zorba (pictured: A branch of Zara in Sydney)

Excited by his new project, Ortega proudly named it Zorba after the classic 1964 film Zorba the Greek, but to his dismay, he soon discovered that a bar with exactly the same name was situated just two blocks away. 

Despite being stuck with the moulds for the original name he had chosen, a quick fiddle with the letters spelled out the name Zara which proved an economical success – and the rest is history. 

Legend has it the extra ‘a’ came from an additional set of letters that had already been moulded for the company.

US social forum Quora concurs with this theory, adding that the bar owner even tracked down Ortega. 

One user explained: ‘In 1975, the brand’s founder, Amancio Ortega Gaona, opened a small store selling his housecoats and robes in north-western Spain. Ortega called the store Zorba, after the film Zorba the Greek.

‘However, Zorba the Greek was quite the popular film, as two blocks away there was a bar with the same name. 

‘The owner of the bar came over to Ortega’s clothes shop to tell him that it would be too confusing to have two Zorbas in the same town.’

‘Ortega had already made the moulds for the letters in the sign, so he simply rearranged them to see what other names he could find. And as you can likely guess, he came up with the name Zara, and the rest is history!’

US social forum Quora concurs with this theory, adding that the bar owner even tracked down Ortega 

Ortega’s newly branded store sold low-priced dupes of popular, high-end fashion items – a trend that the retailer has stood by until today. 

He opened more shops in Spain and in the 80s, he changed the design, manufacturing, and distribution process to reduce lead times so Zara could react even faster to new trends – and fast fashion has since taken over the industry.

Today, Zara has nearly 3000 stores around the world, with its first beauty line, ZARA Beauty launching in May 2021.

The brand is currently gearing up to release its brand new spring/summer collection titled ‘Collection 10’. 

Their new line of stylish pastels and nudes is available to shop on April 13.

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