Founder Profile
Rosalía Mera
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Rosalía Mera?
Rosalía Mera is a founder of Inditex, S.A., which was founded in 1985 with Amancio Ortega.
- Company founded
- Inditex, S.A.
- Founded
- 1985
- Co-founders
- Amancio Ortega
Background
Seamstress and early production lead; later investor and philanthropist in Galicia.
Founding Story
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.