All this talk about Spanish shoes and accessories, but why talking only now about the elephants in the room? By elephants I mean Zara and Mango, two hugely successful Spanish fashion retailers. Both companies sell worldwide and have gained a very devoted clientele among the young and the hip everywhere.
Zara is what is called a “fashion imitator”. From design, to production, to the product actually hitting the stores, it takes the company as little as two weeks to replicate a trend. This is a super fast response for such a big global brand. Another crucial factor is the affordability. With many designs under $100, budding fashionistas can shop to their heart’s content. The enormous appeal of the brand has put Spain on the map as a world’s leading producer of fashionable clothing.
The Catalonia-based Mango is smaller, but also extremely successful. This is good for Brand Spain, right? Yes, definitely, but for the Spanish shoe industry it’s actually a double-edged sword. One of the biggest selling points for Spanish shoes is that they are 100% (or close to it) Made in Spain. This is good sense, not nationalism. When it comes to shoe design and production, Spain has the advantage of having a very strong traditional leather and shoe-making industry, which makes for an extremely high-quality end product. Spanish companies bet on quality. Zara and Mango, being global companies, take advantage of cheaper materials and cheaper work force, mainly from Asia. This is normal practice for most of the world’s multinationals and it’s the reason they can sell for less. The Made in Spain companies have higher costs and, as a consequence, higher prices. However, their prices are not as high as those of comparable products produced by luxury design companies elsewhere in Europe and the United States. This makes Made in Spain shoe brands exceptionally good value and that’s what this blog is interested in: bringing to light these gems of companies for consumers far and wide to know about and enjoy. That said, Zara and Mango’s urban chic items are making a lot of people happy and that’s important too. Here are examples of how some of my favorite fashion bloggers incorporate Zara and Mango into their looks:
Milan-based Aurora Berill of the Elegance of Luxury blog wearing a red Zara dress paired with a Mango tote (see her post here).
Aurora’s new Mango bag (see post here):
Stephani Dossey of the Je m’appelle Stephani Blog (Dallas, TX), wearing her Zara booties (see post here)
Stephani’s Zara shoes selection, from this post here:
Iris Dijkers of A Dash of Fash blog (Netherlands), wearing a flippy pinstripe skirt by Zara during Amsterdam Fashion Week (see post here).
A pharmacist and fashion consultant from Pamplona, Navarra, Ane Hernando of the Look & Chic blog is wearing a Zara blazer, Zara jeans, a Zara scarf and Mango booties (see the post here)
And UK’s Raquel Sofia of the Style Credential blog.
A huge Zara fan, Raque Sofia is wearing a Zara blazer, Zara Studio dress with zips, and Zara pointy slingbacks (see post here).
Finally, here is Princess Letizia, the future Queen of Spain, spotted on numerous occasions with her pink Mango bag.
Image source: www.avanapiel.com
Let me know what are your favorite Zara and Mango outfits!
4 Responses
You are mentioning two brands I totally love, Mango and Zara and I knew they were from Spain. However, maybe hard to believe, for the Mexican income, both are pricy. Not designer pricy but still totally out of budget for most of us (unless it is sales season). But I love to go to the stores and see what is on trend, and then buy whatever I can alike produced in Mexico mainly from small independent companies (also helping the national economy) inspired in what I see in Mango and Zara, and I also personalized some stuff based on what they do 🙂
And they are bloody great!
Nice post as always!
http://dhariascloset.blogspot.mx/p/male-inspiration.html
You’re right, Zara and Mango’s affordability is relative, of course. Shopping there still requires a lot of disposable income. What is often said about them is that they are reliable – like you say, you can always get an idea about trends there, and that makes them the go-to places, which inevitably translates into sales. It’s a very successful business model. I always admire people who are good at finding great value pieces that are both fashionable and have a lot of personality, like the outfits you wear. It’s a rare talent.
Great Post & Thanks for featuring Style Credential!
Raquel S.
Thanks, Raquel Sofia, I’m glad you liked it!