Inditex, S.A.

Fashion retail and apparelFounded 1985- HQ today: Arteixo, A Coruña, Spain

Founders

Who Founded Inditex?

Amancio Ortega, Rosalía Mera · Founded 1985 · HQ today: Arteixo, A Coruña, Spain

Who founded Inditex?

Inditex was founded by Amancio Ortega, Rosalía Mera in 1985 in Arteixo, Spain. It is now led by Óscar García Maceiras.

Founders: Amancio Ortega, Rosalía Mera
Founded: 1985
Headquarters: Arteixo, A Coruña, Spain
Number of founders: 2
Current CEO: Óscar García Maceiras (since 2021)

Where was Inditex founded?: Inditex was founded in Arteixo, Spain in 1985. wikidata.org
When was Inditex founded?: Inditex was founded in 1985.
Who started Inditex?: Inditex was founded by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera.
How old is Inditex?: Inditex is 41 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Amancio Ortega, the son of a railway worker, started as a shop assistant for shirtmakers in A Coruña. In 1963 he and Rosalía Mera set up Confecciones GOA, a small workshop making quilted dressing gowns and lingerie for other retailers. In 1975 they opened the first Zara store in A Coruña to sell their own production directly. Inditex was formed as a holding company in 1985, Zara opened abroad in Porto in 1988, New York in 1989 and Paris in 1990, and the group listed on the Madrid stock exchange in May 2001.

Amancio Ortega

Co-founder 1975

Background

Garment trade apprentice and manufacturer in A Coruña; built the integrated production and logistics system that defines the Inditex model.

Role at Inditex, S.A.

Amancio Ortega (born 1936 in Busdongo de Arbás, León) is the founder and controlling shareholder of Inditex. After working as a shirtmaker's delivery boy and shop assistant in A Coruña, he co-founded Confecciones GOA in 1963 and opened the first Zara store in 1975. He served as chairman until 2011 and remains the group's largest shareholder through Pontegadea, which also holds a large international real estate portfolio. He is consistently ranked among the world's richest people.

Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936. He is regarded as a pioneer of fast fashion. Amancio Ortega was born in 1936.

Rosalía Mera

Co-founder 1975

Background

Seamstress and early production lead; later investor and philanthropist in Galicia.

Role at Inditex, S.A.

Rosalía Mera (1944-2013) co-founded the business with Amancio Ortega, sewing and producing the early dressing gowns and lingerie of Confecciones GOA and helping launch Zara in 1975. After the couple divorced she remained a significant Inditex shareholder and founded the Paideia Galiza Foundation, which supports social inclusion and people with disabilities.

Rosalia Mera Goyenechea was born on January 28, 1944 and died on August 15, 2013. She co-founded the Zara chain in 1975 with her then husband, Amancio Ortega. At her death she was the richest woman in Spain. Rosalía Mera was born in 1944.

Inditex, S.A.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Marta Ortega Pérez

Non-Executive Chair

2022 – Present

The daughter of the founder, she took over as Chairwoman in 2022, aggressively accelerating the company's digital integration and closing massive amounts of smaller, unprofitable stores.

Óscar García Maceiras

Chief Executive Officer

2021 – Present

Under his tenure annual sales rose from ~$31.3 billion (€27.7 billion) (FY2021) to ~$45.1 billion (€39.9 billion) (FY2025) and net profit from ~$3.62 billion (€3.2 billion) to ~$7.01 billion (€6.2 billion).

Pablo Isla

CEO (2005-2011), Executive Chairman (2011-2022)

2005 – 2022

Serving as CEO and later Chairman from 2005 to 2022, he transformed Zara from a massive European brand into an undisputed global retail behemoth, massively expanding its e-commerce capabilities.

José María Castellano

CEO and Deputy Chairman

1985 – 2005

As the long-time CEO and right-hand man to founder Amancio Ortega, he guided the company's massive global expansion and executed its highly successful IPO in 2001 before resigning in 2005.

Keep researching Inditex

Who Founded Inditex? FAQ

Who founded Inditex and in what year was the company established?

Inditex was founded by Amancio Ortega Gaona and his first wife Rosalía Mera. Ortega established his initial garment workshop (Confecciones GOA) in 1963, opened the first Zara store in 1975 in A Coruña, and formally incorporated the parent holding company Inditex in 1985.

What was Amancio Ortega's humble origin and rise to become one of the world's wealthiest people?

Born in 1936 into a poor railway worker's family in Busdongo de Arbás (León), Amancio Ortega left school at age 14 to work as an errand boy for a shirtmaker in A Coruña. Observing how high markups priced ordinary women out of beautiful fashion, he resolved to build a business that made trendy clothing affordable to all.

What was Confecciones GOA founded in 1963 and what did it produce?

Confecciones GOA (named after Ortega's reversed initials: G-O-A) was Ortega's first manufacturing business, started in 1963 with his siblings and Rosalía Mera. They produced quilted satin housecoats and dressing gowns, cutting and sewing garments by hand before selling them directly to local retailers.

What is the origin story of the name 'Zara' when the first store opened in 1975?

In 1975, Ortega opened his first retail store in A Coruña, planning to name it 'Zorba' after the film 'Zorba the Greek.' After discovering a local bar two blocks away already owned the name Zorba, Ortega rearranged the cast metal letters he had ordered to spell 'Z-A-R-A.'

Who was Rosalía Mera and what were her contributions to Inditex and philanthropy?

Rosalía Mera (1944 to 2013) co-founded Inditex with Amancio Ortega, designing and sewing early garments and helping build Confecciones GOA and Zara into a thriving business. Later, she became Spain's wealthiest self-made businesswoman, dedicating her life to the Paideia Galiza Foundation supporting individuals with disabilities.

What is Pontegadea and how does Amancio Ortega reinvest his wealth?

Pontegadea is Amancio Ortega's private investment holding company. Channeling billions in annual Inditex dividend payouts, Pontegadea has assembled one of the world's premier commercial real estate portfolios, owning prime skyscrapers in Madrid, London, New York, Seattle, Toronto, and Miami.

Who founded Zara?

It was founded by Amancio Ortega and his first wife, Rosalía Mera. Ortega is famously incredibly secretive. Despite being one of the wealthiest men on Earth, he has never given a formal media interview, famously eats lunch in the company cafeteria with his employees every day, and refuses to wear a tie, completely shunning the elite global fashion scene.

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Who founded Inditex?

Founding Story

Amancio Ortega

Background

Role at Inditex, S.A.

Rosalía Mera

Background

Role at Inditex, S.A.

Inditex, S.A.: CEO & Leadership History

Keep researching Inditex

Who Founded Inditex? FAQ

Who founded Inditex and in what year was the company established?

What was Amancio Ortega's humble origin and rise to become one of the world's wealthiest people?

What was Confecciones GOA founded in 1963 and what did it produce?

What is the origin story of the name 'Zara' when the first store opened in 1975?

Who was Rosalía Mera and what were her contributions to Inditex and philanthropy?

What is Pontegadea and how does Amancio Ortega reinvest his wealth?

Who founded Zara?

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