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I am seeing spots. More specifically polka dots, on a white maxi dress. Three women have walked by me – all wearing the same identical dress – in the half hour I’ve been sitting outside this café. I know it’s from Zara, I’ve tried it on, and now I’m seeing those spots everywhere.
It is the dress of the summer, another viral Zara fashion statement, complete with a dedicated Instagram account set up by fans.
Just one sign of how the Spanish clothing giant is bucking the trend of many of its struggling High Street competitors and posting record sales.
Considering the success and size of the company, it might be thought of as a bit of an enigma. It doesn’t advertise, it does little marketing and its boss, who was named best performing chief executive in the world by a business magazine last year, has not given any big interviews, until now.
Pablo Isla recently laid out plans for Zara’s future and said it was all about a digital and sustainable transformation. But is it possible for a company to be sustainable, when the entire business is about getting shoppers to buy as much fashion as possible?