Zara brings 50 supermodels together: The secret behind the High Street brand’s success according to LAURA CRAIK

When you’re one of the world’s top models, you don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day. 

According to Linda Evangelista in a famous 1990 Vogue interview, modelling was a profession where women could earn significantly more than men, setting the stage for the rise of the ‘supermodel’ phenomenon.

In today’s money, this would mean Evangelista, who turns 60 tomorrow, wouldn’t be rising from her Vispring mattress for less than $24,000 (£18,000). 

Steven Meisel, a renowned fashion photographer, not only offers a paycheck but also adds a sense of prestige to the models he photographs.

Meisel’s ability to gather 50 of the world’s top models for a group shot showcases his influence and talent, without relying on artificial editing techniques.

Which designer deity or lauded luxury label warranted this Herculean feat of commitment and organisation? Armani? Prada? Chanel? 

In fact, the reason Linda, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Twiggy, Eva Herzigova, Paulina Porizkova and Penelope Tree (to name just a few) were moved to clear their diaries and show up on time in the same New York studio is because of high street chain Zara.

Not only show up at the same time and same place, but joyously dance and sing along to 1977 disco classic I Feel Love as Meisel captured the performance. 

Fashion photographer Steven Meisel brought together 50 of the world’s most famous models  for such an impressive group shot to celebrate Zara’s 50th anniversary on the high street

According to an insider on the shoot, Oldham-born model Karen Elson, 46, belted out the Donna Summer song as Victoria’s Secret model Irina Shayk, 39, vigorously shimmied along.

British shoppers first encountered the Spanish brand in 1998, when it opened its first UK store on London’s Regent Street. 

So it may come as a surprise that everyone’s favourite purveyor of affordable catwalk trends, viral dresses and reasonably priced office attire celebrates its 50th anniversary today.

It was on May 9, 1975, that businessman Amancio Ortega opened the first Zara store in A Coruna, in Galicia, Spain. Zara boasts 5,815 stores in 98 countries, as well as serving 214 markets online.

Now 89, Ortega is the second richest retailer in the world and the tenth richest person, with an estimated net worth of $121 billion (£91 billion), says Forbes.

Ortega’s daughter, Marta Ortega Perez, 41, has marked the occasion with a film, shot by Meisel, featuring the 50 iconic models wearing items from Zara’s new collection.

Staples include an elegant black tuxedo jacket (£139), a classic white shirt (£45.99), a simple vest top (£17.99) and a raft of trousers (from £39) that will work for the office and beyond.

Everything comes in chic, monochromatic shades to ensure maximum wearability, which is really what Zara has focused on all along.

Linda Evangelista (pictured here on the Milan catwalk for Versace in 1995) once said in a famous Vogue interview that as a supermodel you don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day

Also featured in the shoot, a who’s who of the modeling A-list of the last 40 years, was Oldham-born model Karen Elson, 46 (pictured)

Peek inside the average woman’s wardrobe and there’s likely to be a disproportionate number of Zara items hanging there. Yes, British women loved Topshop, but Zara has functioned as its more grown-up, exotic European cousin.

Throughout the early Noughties, its main draw was that it produced catwalk-inspired pieces for fashion lovers who couldn’t afford high fashion’s price tags. 

Finding a dead ringer for a Celine coat for £79 and announcing ‘it’s Zara’ became a badge of honour; a purchase that marked you out as a savvy shopper with a keen eye.

With the price of luxury labels now hiked higher than ever, Zara’s original mandate still holds true, and shoppers still go there to furnish their wardrobes with items whose designer equivalents now cost the price of a used car (and, in some cases, a new one). 

But while Zara might still be inspired by catwalk trends, it also spawns its own. Who can forget ‘The Dress’ of summer 2019, a £39.99 black and white polkadot creation so popular that it garnered its own Instagram account?

On TikTok, meanwhile, Zara is riding high among a new generation of shoppers for whom catwalk trends are of far less interest than what their peers are wearing. 

For Gen Z, this season’s viral hits include a pair of brown chiffon sequin trousers (£39.99) and a sleeveless tie-front top (£22.99).

Although Gen Z’s real obsession is with Zara perfumes. On any given morning, parents of teenage girls may find themselves overly acquainted with the scent of Fashionably London and Red Temptation (£22.99).

Naomi Campbell was among the modelling royalty who featured in Zara’s star-studded anniversary photoshoot

Iconic British model Dame Lesley Lawson AKA Twiggy was another familiar face on the wall of icons

Zara certainly isn’t perfect. It’s hard to argue that you aren’t a key part of the fast fashion epidemic when you’re producing an estimated 20,000 new styles every year; a total of about 450 million garments.

But Marta Ortega Perez, the non-executive chair of the brand’s parent company Inditex, insists Zara is placed outside the fast fashion sphere because of its focus on quality, sustainability and responsible manufacturing.

It’s for the customer to decide whether Zara is worthy of their custom. For its devoted fans, collaborations with Kate Moss and perfumier Jo Malone have proved impossible to resist. Now, they have the added spectacle of 50 supermodels donning their latest collection.

For Twiggy, 75, in particular, it was a full-circle moment. After waiting all night for her to exit a New York club in her 1960s heyday, Meisel first shot the legendary British model, who is five years his senior, when he was a mere 13 years old.

As the man who launched many of their careers, Meisel was the ideal photographer to capture the moment. And, while its models might not wake up for less than $10,000, Zaraphiles will happily set their alarms to bag these new pieces.