How Zara gets a coat into stores in just 25 days

The Spanish retailer is a master of fast fashion

(ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images (ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images)

In a world where the internet can deliver almost instant gratification, it is easy to forget how much hard graft goes into getting a garment from a designer’s brain onto shelves. Now Zara have given a glimpse into the reality of fast fashion by revealing how they can get a coat out in the shops in just 25 days.

The Spanish retailer recently unveiled a black wrap coat with a high collar, complete with a metal fastening based on feedback that customers wanted “hardware this season”, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The process started with Zara store managers feeding the thoughts of customers back to the firm's designers in Spain, who took five days to put together a prototype for the coat.

Over the next fortnight, a pattern maker, cutters and seamstresses produced over 8,000 coats, which took a further six days to label and tag. They were then sent to Barcelona airport and flown to John F Kennedy in New York, before spending another day on a truck to the store in the Big Apple.

Among Zara's parent company Inditex's secrets to speed are making 60 per cent of its garments in Spain and countries nearby, and having its creative team working at its headquarters.

The Spanish retailer’s focus on fast fashion has also seen Inditex enjoy an 8 per cent boost in profits in the first quarter of 2016 - beating H&M – by improving its online shopping experience.