he apparently developed a heightened awareness of how costs piled up through the apparel chain. In
1963, he founded Confecciones Goa (his initials reversed) to manufacture products such as
housecoats. Eventually, Ortega’s quest to improve the manufacturing/retailing interface led him to
integrate forward into retailing: the first Zara store was opened on an upmarket shopping street in La
Coruña, in 1975. From the beginning, Zara positioned itself as a store selling “medium quality fashion
clothing at affordable prices.” By the end of the 1970s, there were half a dozen Zara stores in Galician
cities.