Zara-Inditex and the Growth of Fast Fashion

Abstract

This paper presents the “fast fashion” model, its historical development, and its prospects. Fast fashion departs from traditional norms of designer-led fashion seasons, using instead designers who adapt their creations to customer demands on an ongoing basis. From its origins in Galicia, Spain, in the 1960s fast fashion changed the fashion industry. With annual sales of $8 billion in 2005, Inditex, the leading practitioner of fast fashion, is now the second-largest fashion company in the world and operates over 2,700 stores in over sixty countries. As Inditex grows, many other fashion companies are copying its unique business model.