Fashion is everywhere. It's in the outfit we wear, the style we have, the accessories we choose, and even our lifestyle. The Inditex Group is a company that has worked towards building a fashion that people admire, and Zara is just one creation of its many other achievements. The Man from Zara is a book that introduces you to the company and the man who made Inditex what it is - Amancio Ortega, the Spanish Billionaire, who started with humble beginnings. In this book, Covadonga O'Shea offers an excellent insight into the man about whom not much is known. She also introduces us to the company so us to know the number 1 clothes retailer in the world! I met Amancio Ortega fifteen years ago. back then, I was the director of Telva, a leading Spanish magazine. Zara was still gathering a reputation then and hadn't reached the success it is known for today.

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On 1 December 1990, was my flight from Madrid to La Coruna. I was traveling with Montse Cuesta, the chief fashion editor of the magazine. We were there to find out everything about Inditex, a company that was spreading like wildfire and owned Zara. We were also supposed to meet the founder - someone about whom so less was known by the people. One of my friends told me that one day someone claimed to know Amancio Ortega, the man behind the company, unaware that the person he was talking about was sipping coffee beside him. It was an honor to be able to meet such a person who didn't give interviews or ever appeared in the media. The program was simple; we would explore the plant, have lunch with the chairman and fly back to Madrid. A driver came to pick us up from the airport waiting room. After we reached the plant, we walked through different sections. There were not many human beings, and most machines did all the jobs at the plant. A smiling, friendly man watched us, and I stepped forward to tell him that we were journalists from Madrid. We told him that Mr. Ortega had invited us to visit the factory and our main concern was to meet him. To our surprise, the man we were speaking to was Mr. Ortega! He said that he'd take us around the factory himself.

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This was surprising to us as the founder of Inditex was going to walk us around himself ! After walked us around for some time, I asked him for a photograph. He immediately declined. I told him I didn't want a picture for the magazine but simply as a memento. But he was always determined to protect his privacy. When he walked us around, I noticed that Amancio knew every worker by the name and had a friendly conversation with every one of them. After finishing the tour, he took us to Gallo de Oro, a restaurant close by before the company opened a restaurant at the main office. Amancio would often take his guests there. Before looking at the menu, he apologized to me again for not clicking a photograph. Throughout the lunch, I kept adding several comments on the company and what I liked about it. He insisted that we tell him what we don't like about the company. As a guest, I felt hesitant, but because of his politeness and persuasion, I told him what I honestly thought about the company. I told him I didn't like the knitwear and that the material of the footwear was very hard. He didn't make any note of it, but he has a remarkable memory. The next time I visited him, I wore a pair of Zara shoes. And I didn't wear them because I was visiting him, but because they were so comfortable, I hadn't taken them out throughout winter. I showed the shoes to him, and he said that he remembered my previous negative comment. He was delighted that the team was making footwear now that customers liked it.