When Zara becomes rare

Re{form} Zara - Authored by Couturier John Galliano, Madrid.

There was a queue to get into Zara.

I wasn't there to pay or collect an item; I went to see the section featuring the new John Galliano collection. I went to the Zara store on Serrano in Madrid to see the collection personally, and the sight immediately struck me.

The collection had its own space, and the atmosphere there felt more thoughtfully curated than the rest of the shop. It was unlike the experience I'm used to at fast fashion brands.

What is especially interesting is the tension between Zara and Galliano.

They show two completely different approaches to creating fashion value.

Zara achieved its success by making fashion available on a large scale, that is, by rapidly translating trends and presenting them to a wide audience. Galliano, on the other hand, is associated with a tradition in which creative authorship, fashion heritage and the designer's name are all part of the value.

One makes fashion more accessible while the other has, in the past, made it seem exclusive.

That contradiction is what enables the collaboration to work.

Galliano gives Zara more than a product; he gives it cultural credibility and a strong creative perspective. In return, Zara gives Galliano something just as significant: unparalleled reach.

The tension was obvious yesterday, with people genuinely waiting to enter a Zara store.

A fashion brand which is one of the most accessible in the world was giving something a sense of rarity.

Zara isn't aiming to establish itself as a luxury brand, but rather to recognise that, within its own sphere, different products, collaborations, and experiences carry different significance.

What might be more interesting about this development is not making Zara more exclusive, but gaining the ability to make certain moments more important.