Wherever you go shopping in the world— Paris Avenue des Champs-Elysees, New York Fifth Avenue, London Oxford Street, or Tokyo Ginza— you will always come across a Zara store. The retailer’s CEO Pablo Isla Álvarez de Tejera feels the stores themselves are the best way to communicate Zara’s brand image. Zara has chosen to locate the stores in the most luxurious spots of the biggest capitals in the world and to invest less money on advertising. Zara believes its shop windows are all the advertising it needs.

The Zara clothing chain is developing rapidly, with double-digit growth even at a time of financial crisis. Zara has officially overtaken the US giant Gap ― the first fashion retailer in the world. In the competitive clothing industry, Zara has successfully built a worldwide famous brand thanks to their premium locations as well as a unique management system of design, production and supply chains. Unlike other fashion brands, it takes Zara only 10 to 14 days from the time they design new clothing until it arrives in stores. This “fast fashion” concept and operation allow Zara to always provide the most fashionable clothes to their customers, and the ever-renewed collections definitely help build brand loyalty.

Although many international fashion companies are perfectly aware of Zara’s effective branding methods, no one has been able to catch up. Zara has built a powerful clothing brand which should continue to thrive in years to come.