{"id":677,"date":"2025-05-09T13:15:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T13:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/?p=677"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:46:02","slug":"zara-have-been-trolling-us-for-50-years-but-were-still-giving-them-our-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/09\/zara-have-been-trolling-us-for-50-years-but-were-still-giving-them-our-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Zara have been trolling us for 50 years but we\u2019re still giving them our money"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A website with impossible poses? It can only be Zara (Picture: Getty\/Zara)
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There\u2019s only one place on earth where you\u2019ll find a dinosaur wearing jewellery, a woman modelling a dress in <\/em>a swimming pool and a lady crawling with boots on her hands\u2026 Zara<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today marks 50 years of the beloved high street<\/a> retailer, which first opened its doors in A Coru\u00f1a, Spain, before conquering Europe<\/a>, North America<\/a>, Australia<\/a>, South Africa and, of course, the UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Zara<\/a> empire has grown, despite a notoriously user-unfriendly website \u2013 or perhaps because <\/em>of it.<\/p>\n

Over the years, shoppers have been trolled by shoes covered in melted ice cream, one model holding a giant mozzarella sandwich, another dragging a bare Christmas tree across the floor. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s even an Instagram account, Awkward Zara, dedicated to showcasing the brand\u2019s most bizarre photoshoots, with fans left wondering why half the merchandise is so often difficult to see.<\/p>\n

And yet we buy (and buy again), at a time when so many of Zara\u2019s competitors have fallen\u2026<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CZKqU05oHXy\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Why we keep going back to Zara\u2026<\/h2>\n

Laugh at the styling all you want, Zara knows how to create clothing everyone wants. You only have to look back to 2019, the year of \u2018The Zara Dress<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

The black and white polka dot number went so viral, it garnered its own Instagram page and saw brides sashaying down the aisle<\/a> in the ubiquitous, calf-length hemline. <\/p>\n

Then in 2022, Zara spawned a new dress of the moment which took the country by storm. The \u00a332.99 Printed Mini Dress<\/a> featured button fastening, a collar, long-sleeves, and a short-but-wearable skater-style skirt.<\/p>\n

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The Zara Dress which went viral back in 2019 (Picture: Zara)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Green and pink paisley options are among the most popular iterations of the Printed Mini Dress (Picture: Zara)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For stylist Clare Chambers, aka The Personal Brand Stylist, there\u2019s nothing quite like a Zara. \u2018It\u2019s key pieces are like gold dust and I end up on a mission to get them for my clients,\u2019 she tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s also nothing like a Zara blazer for me. Yes the brand has staples, but it\u2019s just great at picking out the key looks or items from the runway and creating an iteration of it that\u2019s affordable and obtainable for the everyday person.\u2019<\/p>\n

Even Kate Middleton<\/a> is known to dabble, most notably wearing a blue Zara dress the day after her wedding in 2011, cause it to sell out globally within 24 hours.<\/p>\n

More recently she was spotted re-wearing a black & white plaid Zara dress<\/a> with a pussy bow and v-neckline to a children\u2019s hospice near Cardiff.<\/p>\n

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Kate Middleton wears Zara on her visit to a Welsh children\u2019s hospice (Picture: AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meghan Markle,<\/a> meanwhile, has worn Zara rompers to the Invictus Games, while Melania Trump<\/a> was criticised for wearing the brand\u2019s coat with the slogan \u2018I really don\u2019t care, do u?\u2019 to a migrant child detention centre in Texas.<\/p>\n

Other celebrities who wear Zara include Taylor Swift, Emily Ratajkowski, Selena Gomez, Sophie Turner and even Queen Letizia of Spain.<\/p>\n

And Clare says there\u2019s a reason they all shop there. \u2018It makes celebs and the likes of Kate Middleton seem accessible and relatable,\u2019 she explains. \u2018That\u2019s why stylists like me use Zara because it\u2019s sophisticated, polished and attainable.\u2019<\/p>\n

The stylist always pulls Zara pieces for her super rich clients, regardless of budget. \u2018While I might get them a Chloe bag I\u2019ll always weave in pieces from Zara because they\u2019re high fashion pieces with good price points,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Zara and the death of the high street<\/h2>\n

Fashion brands like Jack Wills<\/a>, American Apparel<\/a>, House of Fraser and Forever 21 are falling out favour, recording low profits or disappearing all together.<\/p>\n

Yet Zara (or its parent company, Inditex) reported \u00a36.4 billion in pre-tax profit in 2024, up 10% from the previous year. <\/p>\n

Martin Corcoran, CEO of retail performance marketing company Summit, says there are a few simple reasons why the brand is bucking the trend.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve got plenty of Zara stuff, as has my wife, and this is because the brand hits 80% of consumers in the fashion market,\u2019 he tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2018They\u2019re on top of trends, they have a good store footprint and have positioned themselves near more premium brands. Being an international brand helps because if one market is down, you\u2019re often up in another.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Zara is making profit in a tough market (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stylist Clare adds that the website modelling its clothes in rather ridiculous ways is definitely a gimmick, and it works. <\/p>\n

\u2018Any press is good press,\u2019 she says. \u2018They get people talking about the brand.\u2019<\/p>\n

Can it last another 50 years?<\/h2>\n

Since opening its doors on 9th May 1975 the brand has dominated the fashion market, but will it still be part of our high street for the next half a century?<\/p>\n

Zara isn\u2019t immune to controversy, which has earned it some backlash. In 2023 it was criticised for it\u2019s ad campaign \u2018The Jacket\u2019 which featured a model against a backdrop that people claimed resembled the destruction in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The brand claimed the photos were taken before the Israel-Gaza conflict began and labelled it a \u2018misunderstanding\u2019.<\/p>\n

Back in 2011, Zara\u2019s Brazillian production was found to have \u2018slave-like\u2019 conditions<\/a>, with workers pulling 16 to 19 hour shifts and some as young as 14 years old. However Zara claimed this was a result of \u2018unauthorised outsourcing\u2019.<\/p>\n

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@screenshothq<\/a> <\/p>\n

Fashion giant Zara has come under fire following the release of its latest ad campaign, which has triggered a wave of anger on social media. The photoshoot for its 2024 Atelier range showed mannequins wrapped in white fabric and models standing amid rubbish from freight boxes, which some said resembled war rubble and coffins. What\u2019s your take, too far-fetched or spot on? #zara<\/a> #boycottzara<\/a> #palestine<\/a> #palestinetiktok<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c Epic News \u2013 DM Production<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

It\u2019s faced backlash for its sizing too, despite carrying up to an XXL (UK 18) many have found its clothes to be too small for the corresponding size.<\/p>\n

TikToker Zoe Towell said she no longer shops in Zara because as a size 12, even the XL dresses don\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n

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@zoetowellandtwins<\/a> <\/p>\n

I no longer shop in zara what is this ?! I am a size 12 1st one is a xl \u2013 hands up if you been there \ud83d\ude4b\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f #zarafail<\/a> #tryon<\/a> #zara<\/a> #size12fashion<\/a> #fashionhacks<\/a> #fyp<\/a> #fy<\/a> #badfashion<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c React x Better Off Alone DJ BLIGHTY EDIT \u2013 DJ Blighty<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Despite this, the brand remains popular, and Martin explains the popularity of its products and prices allows Zara to course correct and carry on after any missteps.<\/p>\n

He also doesn\u2019t see the revival of Topshop<\/a> \u2013 once a millennial Mecca and fashion titan offering a similar experience to Zara \u2013 as competition to the Spanish brand.<\/p>\n

Martin says: \u2018Topshop is starting at the bottom of the ladder. Zara\u2019s competition is Uniqlo<\/a>, Mango and H&M<\/a>, which are established.<\/p>\n

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A Zara, Uniqlo and Mango all right next to each other (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018If it\u2019s going to be worried about anyone in Europe it will be Shein, which has paused its ad spending in America and redirected its efforts on Europe to start heavily competing here.\u2019<\/p>\n

But what Clare says is unrivalled is Zara\u2019s item quality for price, meaning they\u2019re likely to be around for a long time.<\/p>\n

And we have to agree. Sure when we\u2019re dress shopping on the website the models might be holding dinosaurs and polar bears, and be twisted into angles we couldn\u2019t even imagine, but we love it anyway.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s good enough for the likes of The Princess of Wales, it\u2019s certainly good enough for us.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A website with impossible poses? It can only be Zara (Picture: Getty\/Zara) There\u2019s only one place on earth where you\u2019ll find a dinosaur wearing jewellery, a woman modelling a dress in a swimming pool and a lady crawling with boots on her hands\u2026 Zara. Today marks 50 years of the beloved high street retailer, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=677"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":686,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677\/revisions\/686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/originalholdum.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}