‘50 Years 50 Icons’: Zara’s ode to five decades of fashion with top models

On May 9, 2025, Zara celebrated its golden jubilee. To mark the occasion, the iconic fashion brand released a short film starring some of the world’s top models, paying tribute to its five decades of journey and lasting impact on the global fashion industry.

What began as a single storefront called Zorba (later Zara) in A Coruña, Spain, in 1975, has now turned into a 2,221-store fashion empire across the globe, making its co-founder, Amancio Ortega, the second richest man in Europe. A former apprentice at a local shirt-maker in Spain, Ortega co-founded Zara with his then-wife Rosalía Mera five decades ago. 

Cut to the 21st century, Zara is known for rapidly transforming runway fashion trends into accessible, ready-made garments, popularising fast fashion around the world. In India, the brand earned Rs 2,769 crore in revenue for FY24, reflecting an 8.4% increase from Rs 2,554 crore in FY23.

The establishment of Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., or Inditex, a multinational fashion group, in 1985 became the launchpad for Zara’s global expansion. In 1988, Zara opened its first store outside Spain in Porto, Portugal.

The late 1980s and early 1990s marked Zara's debut in key Western markets, with store launches in the United States and France as well. In 2011, the brand finally ventured into online retail stores. 

Today, as Zara celebrates its golden jubilee, it boasts a presence in 98 physical markets and 214 online markets, catering to a diverse customer base. 

To commemorate this landmark celebration, Zara has unveiled a celebratory film titled ‘50 Years 50 Icons’. The monochromatic short film was directed by renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel.

The film features 50 supermodels, a veritable who's who of the fashion industry, including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. The models sing and dance to the upbeat tune of Donna Summer's I Feel Love before coming together in an iconic group pose, signing off from the video. 

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Also featuring in the film is an exclusive 128-piece commemorative capsule collection by Zara. All the models are wearing the limited-edition line of elevated essentials rendered in a timeless palette of black and white, available to shop now on the Zara website. A $45.90 t-shirt featuring the iconic group pose from the short film is also on sale.

In a legacy spanning five decades, Zara has seen its fair share of ups and downs, the most notable being its oft-cited association with the ills of fast fashion. Another downward trend observed was that of store closures around the globe.

Zara recently also downed the shutters of its flagship store in Mumbai’s Fort district due to steep rent in what was dubbed as “reportedly the largest overseas space-related transaction made by a high-street brand” by Mint, a financial daily. 

However, as Zara steps into the next half of the century, it remains an influential force in the fast-fashion landscape, continuing to shape wardrobes globally.