Top of the Shops

But much before the champagne was popped off,Bollywood actor Lara Dutta,kitted in Zara from top to toe— a striking strapless blue dress and a pink clutch hopped on the dias,purring about Zara’s budget-friendly designs. “I was introduced to Zara when I was 17,while travelling to Madrid on a modelling assignment,” smiled Dutta,as she struck a pose with Jesus Echevarria,Chief Communications Officer of Zara,who flew down with his commercial team for the gala launch. Post Lara-watching,the 400 guests were treated to a fashion show with top models swaggering down in the latest spring summer collection —sleeveless denim jackets,pretty white skirts and floral tops tucked in denim shorts.

“The traditional model in the fashion industry starts from designing and goes onto sourcing. The clothes then reach the stores and finally the customer comes into the picture. We have reversed this to start with the customer in the store and then go onto designing our apparels based on their feedback after which we begin with the sourcing,” Echevarria had said before the launch when The Indian Express met him at the Inditex head office in La Coruna,Spain,the place where their first Zara was set up in 1975. At their sprawling campus,a team of 250 designers is busy drumming up newer and fresher designs for their elegantly up-to-date customers worldwide. “Our 250 designers have a three pronged approch to design,creating clothes for the northern and southern hemispheres. With India,we are marking our presence in 77 countries across Europe,Asia,America and Africa,” Echevarria added. For its Indian debut,Inditex teamed up with Trent Limited,part of the Tata group. However,the question that hounded Zara’s Echevarria was about the delay of the brand,it was supposed to have been launched in spring. “We wanted to have the perfect location and the right environment,” said Echevarria. One of the high points of Zara is its quick response to customers. “There is a specific design team working for India and,once a week,two aisles would be changed. We monitors our shelves very closely in order to restock popular items quickly,and much of the feedback also comes from the store manager,” said Echevarria. The base price begins at Rs 800 and goes up to Rs 5,000.

Is this bad news for small retailers and designers setting up shop in a mall. “There will definitely be a shake up in the market with the opening of high street brands,” said designer Amrish Kumar,son of designer Ritu Kumar. Up next,Zara would pitch the tent at DLF Promenade in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj and Palladium mall in Mumbai.