Marta Ortega will celebrate her first year at the helm of Inditex on Saturday, which her father, Amancio Ortega, created in 1985. On April 1, 2022, Marta replaced Pablo Isla in office, who since 2011 held the presidency of the Galician textile group whose best-known brand is Zara.
On the occasion of this anniversary, Marta Ortega (39) has given an interview to the financial newspaper of British origin Financial Times in which she talks about how she has lived this last year in which she has taken the reins of the group, as well as about fashion and about their children.
“In person she is kind, funny and courteous. She speaks quickly and confidently in English, with a low, hoarse voice, ”says journalist Jo Ellison, author of the report on Marta Ortega. And she adds: “She was in the business from the womb.” For the president, her mark “is in the product and how it is presented: that is the soul of our company and where I can offer the greatest value.” And she affirms that her objective “is to maintain and continue building quality, quality, quality in all aspects of the company.” The firms of the Inditex group are synonymous with fast fashion, something that Ortega rejects: “We do not recognize ourselves in what is called fast fashion, because that brings to mind an enormous amount of unsold items and poor quality clothing focused at a very low price.” cheap, and that is very far from what we do”.
Marta Ortega explains that she usually wears her group’s brands: “I mostly wear Zara or Massimo Dutti, but I do buy designer clothes… And then, obviously, I like shoes,” she confesses. “I also have things from my mother. So, yeah, she’s turned into a great closet. My son always asks me: ‘Why do you have so many clothes?’ Because I have had them for many years.”
She is the mother of two children, Amancio (10), from her first marriage to the rider Sergio Álvarez, and Matilda (3), with her current husband, Carlos Torretta. Marta Ortega explains that her eldest son “is totally obsessed with clothes and labels”, she reveals “funny” and that “it far exceeds her own desire for clothes”. Unlike her father, Amancio Ortega, who was always a very discreet person, it is common to see Marta Ortega in the big fashion events, such as in some Paris shows: “I don’t feel comfortable being the center of attention, I don’t It’s something that I enjoy, but I like to go to… Not to fashionable parties, but I go to events that are related to my work”, she says.
In the Financial Times report, the journalist Jo Ellison also asked some of the people who have collaborated with her for their opinion on Marta Ortega, such as the British stylist Karl Templer, who defines the president of Inditex as “very intuitive” and that ” make decisions quickly. She always wants to do even better and is looking forward to the next steps to take.” A few words along the same lines as those dedicated to her by the designer and architect Van Duysen: “Marta is not only generous and affectionate, she is also a great entrepreneur. She is meticulous. She has an eye for aesthetics and art. And she is down to earth.”
