Zara ventures into publishing in collaboration with the magazine Wallpaper

Inditex is continuing to evolve under the leadership of Marta Ortega, who took over as the Spanish company's president last year. As the heiress to Amancio Ortega's legacy, she is not only ensuring a smooth succession but also bringing a fresh perspective to revitalise the successful company's offerings and prepare it for the future with a renewed brand image and positioning.

Zara has been gradually improving the quality of its collections and repositioning itself towards a more premium segment. This strategy has been in the works for some time and has resulted in discreet but assertive moves, such as collaborations with renowned brands like Ader Error and Narciso Rodriguez, limited edition designer lines like SRPLS, Zara Atelier, and Studio, and even photography exhibitions supported by Marta Ortega's foundation, like the recent one held in honour of the iconic photographer Steven Meisel at the Muelle de la Batería in A Coruña.

Zara's recent steps towards qualitative improvement and repositioning may at first glance seem only linked to improving the Inditex-owned brand's image and collections, but they are also part of a broader evolution of its product offering. Zara has now expanded its range to include versatile basics, trendy pieces, and carefully crafted, timeless, and high-quality pieces. This approach has helped elevate the brand's image and position it as a refined and sophisticated option for consumers. These changes are likely influenced by the president of Inditex, Marta Ortega, who built her experience in the brand's product department before assuming her current role.

Zara's latest offering is more than just a quirky addition, as it highlights the brand's new direction. Available now on the brand's website, "Where to now" is a collection born from an editorial collaboration with the renowned design publication, Wallpaper Magazine. Inspired by travel and the spirit of adventure, this collection features five photography books packaged as a complete box set resembling a large 300-page coffee table book.

The "visual notes" for travellers take readers on an adventure through five destinations: Bruton (UK), Ojai (USA), Galicia (Spain) Naoshima (Japan) and Windhoek (Namibia). The curated content is similar to that of magazines or specialised publications and features photographs by Salva Lopez, Luis Diaz, Pia Riverola, Den Niwa, Kent Andreasen and Sophie Green. It also includes essays by Wallpaper editors Simon Mills and Pei-Ru Keh, along with Celeste Chipperfield, Jens H Jensen and Mazi Odu.

"The book features a series of written and visual field notes, designed for both armchair travellers and enthusiastic explorers," described the brand.

The line also includes a comprehensive stationery line, a category that has hitherto been mainly explored by Zara Home, Inditex's home décor brand. The line comprises notebooks, posters and stickers. The prices remain affordable as typical of Zara, ranging from 69.95 euros for the set of five guides to 15.95 euros for individual guides, and from 22.95 euros for the photographs to 8.95 euros for the notebooks.

It remains to be seen whether this is just a one-off foray by Zara into the world of publishing, or if it's an open door for future collaborations or dedicated collections.

In the last fiscal year, the Inditex group broke sales records, with a 17.5% increase to 32.569 billion euros, and recorded a 7% growth in net profit to 4.13 billion euros.

Zara ventures into publishing in collaboration with the magazine Wallpaper

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