For its 50th anniversary, Zara has partnered with 50 designers and creators for a collection you might not expect from a fast-fashion mall brand.
The Spanish fashion retailer unveiled its 50th anniversary collection at Paris Fashion Week with collaborators that include photographer Annie Leibovitz, supermodel Cindy Crawford, stage designer Es Devlin, and musician Robbie Williams. Available worldwide beginning October 6, the collection does include plenty to wear (Leibovitz contributed a photo for a T-shirt), but what stands out most are the non-apparel items. This is about a whole lot more than clothes.
Devlin, who builds stages for artists like Adele, Beyoncé, and U2, contributed a square-shaped concrete lamp, and Williams a mirror that says “You Can, You Must, and You Will.”
Sarah Andelman, a Paris store owner, made a fun book holder that can hang in the closet, and there’s a yellow-and-black dinnerware set from artist Sterling Ruby and a pyramid lamp from French designer Alex de Betak. Many of the pieces are meant to be conversation starters, like a Barbie-pink surfboard from Balenciaga creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and a pair of gold-colored ashtrays from Kate Moss.
Zara has grown from a single store that opened in A Coruña, Spain, in 1975, to about 1,800 locations today. According to PitchBook data, it generates two-thirds of the revenue for its parent company, Inditex.
Zara’s anniversary collection, with its high-end home goods, wants to send a message about its staying power half a century in. It’s a flex from a company that might be better known for clothes you wear just once.
