Pablo Isla leaves Inditex at the top and prepares his future
María Torretta: "Marta Ortega belongs to the family and with her we talk about family issues, not about fashion or business"
The largest Zara in the world opens and Uterqüe closes: the new steps of Inditex
Although many try to brand her as such,
Marta Ortega
has never positioned herself as a "daddy's girl."
As far as is known, because the truth is that what surrounds the life of Amancio Ortega and his family is carried out with all the discretion that is currently allowed (and that a businessman of his caliber can assume).
Ortega, 38, could have led a very different life.
He might not have wanted to work at Inditex,
he might not have wanted to assume the
presidency of the group, a
position that will take effect on April
1, 2022
, because there are issues that not even a hefty salary (one million euros per year) can buy.
He could have dedicated himself to horse riding, one of his hobbies.
He could have devoted himself full time to his
two sons
, ages eight and one.
He could have been regularly and voluntarily seen in the press or, what the hell,
become an influencer.
Pull would not have missed him.
However,
his story has followed very different paths.
Who is Marta Ortega?
To begin with, someone who
has not lacked desire or impetus to immerse himself in the business culture
and
prepare
for the position that he has to assume from now on.
"You never know your future and I am open to it,
" Ortega said in the only interview she has given to date, to the Wall Street Journal,
"I will always be where the company needs me
. "
Now, it is at the top of Inditex;
before, (and after
studying Business at the University of A Coruña
and completing his training at the
London Business School
) he was in the shops.
It was at one of them, on
Oxford Street
, that she started working as
a shop assistant 15 years ago,
an experience she said she thought she "wouldn't survive" ... for the first week.
"But then
you develop a kind of addiction to the store
", he told the international publication. "Some people never want to get out of there;
it is the
heart of the company
". Or the base from which all employees, without exception, have to start. Company policy.
The role of Marta Ortega in Zara and Inditex
The role he had in the company after his training in London stores has not been made public.
It is known that she has been occupying
different positions related to the management of the brand image and the supervision of the designs,
until anchoring in
the Zara women's line
.
That's where she spends much of her day, in the industrial building where
she works side by side with a team
with whom she shares a table sitting in "a swivel chair" of the type her father used to use, Amancio.
There
she supervises the design work
together with Miguel Díaz, chief of operations, with whom she reviews the best-selling products.
"You never know what the future holds, but
I think my place in here is to be close to the product
, like my father always did," he said in the interview.
These products have been taking
on central importance in the profits of the company,
which has just published its annual results: it
closed 2021 with a net profit of 3,243 million,
almost triple that of 2020. In addition, the turnover last year increased by 36%, reaching 27,716 million.
There is nothing.
And Ortega's role not only has to do with the
creative and communicative supervision
of certain campaigns and processes (such as the spring-summer collection, which "has been very well received by our clients", according to Inditex in its latest presentation of results), but also as
a more or less involuntary ambassador of the brand.
Although she has only given one interview in her life and her appearances at events are controlled,
every time she enters a room, the cameras turn to analyze
her and, quickly, her looks fly through social networks to try to
find out if Zara's clothes or Massimo Dutti that he wears are in store or, on the other hand, will be seen soon
.
Pure and simple strategy of desire that is reflected, above all, in shirt dresses, wide pants and flat shoes.
In
comfortable outfits
that she uses both to leave her son "personally" at school and to spend a day in the Arteixo offices.
The challenges of Marta Ortega when it comes to reinventing fast fashion
They are not few: one could talk about economic and business challenges, such as the
complete integration of stores between physical and online formats,
or achieving sustainability goals that go through zero emissions in 2040 or
the elimination of single-use plastics for customers in 2023,
by which time 100% cotton will be "more sustainable", as will cellulosic fibers.
However, at the level of image and communication, there are many others.
It is no secret that fast fashion is not experiencing its best moment in terms of image, although the numbers continue to support its validity among the public.
For this reason, and without neglecting the strategies that already work, Inditex has focused on a renewal in terms of design and communication that is already visible among its clients.
There are the photographs taken almost exclusively by
Steven Meisel
, a short film to celebrate Christmas or the
launch of the Atelier line
, without forgetting
Studio
, which stands out season after season for its careful details and attention to its own designs "from scratch" , as Ortega pointed out, that make them who they are:
a brand with its own identity that everyone wants to copy.
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