Decoding Zara Home’s collaboration strategy

Just days ago, Zara generated excitement among fashion enthusiasts—and stirred a significant buzz on social media—with the surprise announcement of its upcoming alliance with former Yves Saint Laurent creative director, Stefano Pilati. Now, Inditex’s home décor chain, Zara Home, has secured a valuable collaboration with the esteemed French publisher Éditions Gallimard. This latest initiative aligns with the strategy driven by the Inditex group’s president, Marta Ortega, who is focused on enhancing the positioning and image of the various brands within the Galician conglomerate.

In the last two decades, Zara Home’s evolution has been both effective and discreet, mirroring the silent luxury it seeks to embody. Founded in 2003 under the leadership of Eva Cárdenas, the Arteixo (A Coruña)-based chain initially gained recognition for its home textiles and home decor items. As it matured, the brand swiftly expanded its horizons, broadening its product range to cater to a wider array of needs and rooms within the home.

Today, Zara Home’s product catalog extends far beyond its original scope. The brand now offers pet products, sports equipment, and even camping gear. This ambitious expansion of its product range has been underpinned by a commitment to professionalism, meticulous design, and strategic alliances that enhance the brand’s appeal and credibility.

Refined brand image and designs

Mirroring the evolution seen in other retail chains within the group founded by Amancio Ortega, Zara Home’s current concept has significantly diverged from its origins. One of the most perceptible transformations lies in its brand image and store design. The evolved store concept features distinct separations for different home spaces, creating a more immersive shopping experience. This new layout was designed by architect Elsa Urquijo and unveiled in A Coruña in 2021, along with the introduction last year of a logo conceived by Fabien Baron, echoing that of its elder sibling, Zara.

In 2018, the chain experienced significant leadership changes as Lorena Mosquera assumed control of the brand, succeeding Eva Cárdenas after her 15-year tenure. Merely a year later, under the presidency of Pablo Isla, Zara Home was integrated into Zara. This move not only constituted a merger in accounting terms—leading both chains to jointly report their financial results—but also heralded a new era of enhanced synergies between the two brands.

“The future vision is to consider Zara Home as a fourth section of Zara,” the conglomerate’s president predicted at the time. Since then, while the home goods chain has maintained its independence through its own physical and online stores, in some instances it has been integrated into Zara boutiques. This integration adds home offerings to the existing women’s, men’s, children’s, or “TRF” sections. In certain markets, various Zara Home products began to be sold through the Zara website, embracing an operational alliance that leverages the strengths of both brands.

Rather than restricting collaborations solely within the Inditex group, Zara Home has strategically engaged in partnerships that enable swift advancements in enhancing its market positioning. This approach has been a subtle yet effective path to constructing a comprehensive, high-quality, reliable, and highly desirable product universe. The brand has built a rich imaginative realm adorned with highly viral items—such as this summer’s successful marine-themed wine glass charms—that capture the attention of consumers and create buzz on social media platforms. This strategy is fueled by a sophisticated and timeless image that serves as a cornerstone of the brand’s growth, especially since the appointment of Marta Ortega as president in 2022. 

Zara Home’s objective has evolved beyond merely producing functional items at accessible prices; the Inditex brand now seeks to inspire—and market—a curated, minimalist lifestyle reminiscent of interior design magazines or Pinterest mood boards. To this end, the chain has woven a prestigious alliance with Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen, who has crafted three furniture and home décor collections for the brand. Additionally, Zara Home has been collaborating with leading figures in specialised industries, successfully presenting an extensive offering without the need to internally develop complex technologies and products.

From brand universe to concept store evolution

This expansive synergy represents an exceptional shift from Inditex’s traditional strategy of developing proprietary offerings at highly competitive prices. In its qualitative evolution, while Zara Home maintains dominance over its catalog and the bulk of its revenue stems from its own products, the chain is increasingly embracing a multi-brand approach. By positioning its retail spaces more and more as “concept stores,” Zara Home creates an environment where customers can explore a curated selection of products that embody a cohesive lifestyle aesthetic.

Its latest major opening in Paris exemplifies this strategy. The temporary boutique, established for one year at 117 rue du Bac, spans 1,600 square meters and showcases the brand’s most notable collaborations. The space includes a café area, and an entire floor dedicated to the exclusive “El Apartamento” (The Apartment) concept, previously only present in its native A Coruña. 

Among the collaborations that have elevated Zara Home’s catalog are designer small appliances by Italian brand Smeg; art supplies from Winsor & Newton; sporting goods from brands like Spalding, Wilson, Uniq, Tokyobike, Two Two, and Starvie; children’s toys from Banwood; home textiles in partnership with specialist Tensira; decorative pieces developed alongside Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood’s firm, Collagerie; and handcrafted basketry candle holders from the Galician company Heimat Atlántica.

Additionally, the home portfolio extends to music spaces featuring a curated selection of vinyl records, as well as an extensive range of office products for which a comprehensive line of stationery has been developed—including agendas, notebooks, planners, boxes, folders, calendars, and writing and office supplies.

Furthermore, Zara Home enriches its shelves with a carefully selected range of fashion books such as the renowned ‘Catwalk’ series; the ‘Little Book of…’ publications by Welbeck; large-format photography books dedicated to celebrities like Kate Moss, Sofia Coppola, or Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and gastronomy books by chef Yotam Ottolenghi. The offering includes a curated catalog of magazines, such as an issue of Study devoted to Camille Bidault-Waddington’s fashion, the creative proposition of ‘Family Style’, and the New York-based architectural magazine ‘Pin-Up’.

Éditions Gallimard: Zara’s latest prestigious ally

Starting last week, and in celebration of the “rentrée littéraire” (September’s literary new releases), Zara Home’s cultural offerings at its Rive Gauche store in Paris have been elevated through an exclusive collaboration with the prestigious French publishing house Éditions Gallimard. Founded in 1911 by Gaston Gallimard, André Gide, and Jean Schlumberger, this partnership features a dedicated installation showcasing a curated selection of French and international novels, notebooks, and titles from the esteemed “Blanche” collection. As reported to FashionNetwork.com, the initiative may be further enhanced with events or book signings in the coming weeks.

In the first half of the fiscal year, Inditex boosted its turnover by 7.2%, reaching €18.065 billion. While Zara (including Zara Home) remains the Inditex group’s top-selling chain—accounting for €13.033 billion of total revenue (72% of sales)—it was the retailer that recorded the most modest sales growth, with an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2023.