For most consumers, Fast Fashion guarantees instant style at an affordable price. It’s how the majority of women shop these days. But fast fashion is only about 40 years old, and we have Armancio Ortega to thank for the concept of bargain clothing.
The name Armancio Ortega might not ring a bell, but his successful fashion company, Zara, will probably sound familiar. Zara offers up high-end dupes at incredibly low prices. And in the new documentary, Zara: The Story of the World’s Richest Man, we get to meet the shy Ortega, who at one time, was the wealthiest man alive.
Cheap knock-offs made millions
How did Ortega manage to become the world’s richest man by selling low-quality clothing and accessories? In this documentary, produced by Prime Entertainment Group, we discover that the secret to his success was his ability to sell cheap knockoffs quickly.
Instead of waiting for high-end style dictators to decide what you should wear, Ortega decided to jump the gun. He gave consumers what they wanted, at a fraction of the price and without any delay. With Zara to the rescue, consumers never have to wait long for what they want. In just under 15 days, this brand can identify a trend and not only design knock-off pieces, but have them on the shop floor to boot.
Zara doesn’t run, it sprints
Generally speaking, each season comes with its own passing trends. Certain items are in Vogue during the spring, only to quickly recede once summer pieces roll in. But with Zara, there isn’t a spring trend or a summer trend. With Zara, you get weekly trends. In fact, Zara churns out as many as one billion items of clothing per year.
That’s around five million pieces each week.
Factories and shops are buzzing
This documentary reveals that in one Tunisian factory, workers could produce a single shirt in just 38 minutes. Now, most people would unanimously agree that any piece of clothing made in under an hour will have poor quality. In fact, it will take longer to watch this documentary than to make a shirt for Zara.
But when you only pay 30 dollars for it, does it matter if it’s poorly made? It’s not worth investing in Zara clothing too much since new items hit the rack on a weekly basis.
A rare opportunity to reflect
Apart from giving audiences a window into Zara’s humble beginnings, as well as sneak peaks into this mega-chain, this new documentary gives consumers something very unusual when it comes to fast fashion. It gives each viewer a chance to stop and think, to consider and understand. And all these things are completely absent in a world of obsolescence that leaves a trail of forgotten pieces in its wake.
