In 2020, fast fashion retailer Zara released a pair of sneakers with Playstation. In 2021, Zara partnered with Everlast in January, Kassl Additions in September and Charlotte Gainsburg in October. And in the last three weeks, it’s rolled out collaborations with Korean streetwear label Ader Error, biotech company LanzaTech and TRX, a company that makes at-home fitness equipment and publishes digital workout videos.
Each of these collaborations connects Zara with a buzzy area of fashion. The Ader Error collaboration encompasses physical and digital outfits. The LanzaTech collab focuses on sustainability by making clothes from captured carbon emissions, and the TRX partnership links Zara to on-the-rise at-home fitness.
Zara’s strategy is to tap partners that specialize in emerging spaces and gain a foothold in those categories. While collaborations are often planned months in advance, Zara’s change in strategy around collabs comes just as parent company Inditex is going through a leadership transition. Longtime CEO Pablo Isla stepped down in November and will be replaced by Oscar Garcia Maceiras, and Marta Ortega has been promoted to chair of the company. Between November 1, 2021 and December 10, 2021 Inditex’s sales increased ten per cent over 2019 and 33 per cent over 2020.
