Amancio Ortega Gaona
Encyclopedia
Amancio Ortega Gaona is a Spanish fashion
entrepreneur
. He is the founder, along with his then-wife Rosalía Mera
, and chairman of the Inditex Group. He is ranked by Forbes
as Spain
's richest man; Europe's second richest man; and the seventh richest man in the world in 2011 . He currently lives with his second wife in a discreet apartment building in the centre of A Coruña
.
Ortega arrived at La Coruña, Spain
, at the age of 14, due to the job of his father, a railway worker. Starting as a gofer in various shirt stores in La Coruña, Galicia, in 1972 he founded Confecciones Goa (his initials in reverse), which made bathrobes. In 1975 he opened the first store in what would grow into the enormously popular chain of fashion stores called Zara
. He owns 59.29% of the Inditex group (Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad Anónima) which includes the brands Zara
, Massimo Dutti
, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius
, Pull and Bear/Often
and Bershka
and has more than 92,000 employees.
Ortega keeps a very low profile and there are practically no photographs of him (except from one photo published at the Inditex website). He refuses to wear a tie, and likes to dress in blue jeans and T-shirts. He is said to take a very active part in the production and design process in the company.
When he made a public appearance in 2000 - as part of the warm-up prior to floating his company on the stock market in 2001 - it made headlines in the Spanish financial press. However, he has never given an interview, and his secrecy has led to the publication of books such as Amancio Ortega: DE CERO A ZARA (From Zero to Zara).
Ortega, announced his imminent retirement from the fast-fashion giant Inditex
, parent company of the Zara chain, stating that he will ask Inditex vice-president and CEO Pablo Isla
to take his place at the helm of the textile empire.
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He is the founder, along with his then-wife Rosalía Mera
Rosalia Mera
Rosalía Mera Goyenechea is one of the richest people in the world. She began designing gowns and lingerie in her home with her then-husband, Amancio Ortega Gaona. The couple parlayed their work into a multi-billion-dollar corporation, Inditex, and the Zara line of clothing stores...
, and chairman of the Inditex Group. He is ranked by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
as Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's richest man; Europe's second richest man; and the seventh richest man in the world in 2011 . He currently lives with his second wife in a discreet apartment building in the centre of A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
.
Ortega arrived at La Coruña, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, at the age of 14, due to the job of his father, a railway worker. Starting as a gofer in various shirt stores in La Coruña, Galicia, in 1972 he founded Confecciones Goa (his initials in reverse), which made bathrobes. In 1975 he opened the first store in what would grow into the enormously popular chain of fashion stores called Zara
Zara (clothing)
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
. He owns 59.29% of the Inditex group (Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad Anónima) which includes the brands Zara
Zara (clothing)
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
, Massimo Dutti
Massimo Dutti
Massimo Dutti is a company belonging to the Spanish Inditex group dedicated to the manufacturing of clothing. It was created in 1985 and its product range was limited to men's clothing....
, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius
Stradivarius (INDITEX)
Stradivarius is an international women clothing fashion brand from Spain, the Inditex group.-History:Stradivarius was developed in 1994 as a family owned business with an innovative concept in fashion in Barcelona, Spain...
, Pull and Bear/Often
Pull and Bear
Pull and Bear is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Narón, Galicia and founded in 1991. In September 2011, the company will sell through an online store. -Concept & Style:...
and Bershka
Bershka
Bershka is a company belonging to the Spanish Inditex group , that was created in April 1998 as a new store and fashion concept, aimed at a young target market. It now has 734 stores in 49 countries....
and has more than 92,000 employees.
Ortega keeps a very low profile and there are practically no photographs of him (except from one photo published at the Inditex website). He refuses to wear a tie, and likes to dress in blue jeans and T-shirts. He is said to take a very active part in the production and design process in the company.
When he made a public appearance in 2000 - as part of the warm-up prior to floating his company on the stock market in 2001 - it made headlines in the Spanish financial press. However, he has never given an interview, and his secrecy has led to the publication of books such as Amancio Ortega: DE CERO A ZARA (From Zero to Zara).
Ortega, announced his imminent retirement from the fast-fashion giant Inditex
Inditex
Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. , more commonly known as Inditex, is a large Spanish corporation and the world's largest fashion group. It is made up of almost a hundred companies dealing with activities related to textile design, production and distribution...
, parent company of the Zara chain, stating that he will ask Inditex vice-president and CEO Pablo Isla
Pablo Isla
Pablo Isla Álvarez de Tejera is a Spanish businessman who is the current Chairman and CEO of Inditex which is a large Spanish corporation and one of the world largest fashion groups....
to take his place at the helm of the textile empire.