In Paris, at 117 Rue du Bac, Zara Home has (temporarily) opened the doors of its store to a collaboration with the historic Éditions Gallimard. The result is a project to elevate its positioning that follows a certain kind of luxury trend, but it has made some people turn up their noses
by Massimiliano Viti
Éditions Gallimard has a catalogue of almost 50,000 titles, 9,000 authors and 240 collections of literature and non-fiction. Founded in Paris on 31 May 1911, it holds a record: it is the publishing house with the most Nobel Prize winners, more than 40. Since last September, Gallimard has had one more (temporary) outlet in the French capital. It is the one at 117 Rue du Bac, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which is also the address of the Zara Home store. This is not a mistake and, by the way, is the starting point of this article.
Zara Home + Éditions Gallimard
The Zara Home store in Paris has been temporarily transformed into a bookshop offering a selection of works, including novels of French and foreign literature and titles from Gallimard’s fine Blanche series, alongside stationery products marked Zara Home. This initiative (which not everyone liked, as we shall see) is perfectly in line with the new strategy promoted by the president of the Inditex group, Marta Ortega, who is focused on raising the positioning and image of the Spanish giant’s various brands. But it also represents another stage in the evolutionary path undertaken by the brand for years.
The evolution of Zara Home
Founded in 2003, Zara Home (based in Arteixo, La Coruña) has become known for household linen and decorative items at very affordable prices. The offer has grown year after year, embracing more horizons and trying to respond to the increased needs of people who, during and after the pandemic, spend more time at home. For this horizontal (in terms of offer) and vertical (in terms of positioning) development, in addition to its collaboration with various architects, the Inditex house brand has made some strategic alliances. For example, with Smeg designer appliances.
Or, with Winsor & Newton plastic arts products and Spalding sports equipment. Or again: with Banwood children’s toys, home textiles designed in collaboration with Tensira and even handmade wicker candleholders from the Galician company Heimat Atlántica. In addition, Zara Home complements its shelves with a selection of large-format fashion or photography books dedicated to Kate Moss, Sofia Coppola and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. To top it off, it also sells haute cuisine books and a catalogue of magazines.
The sense of luxury for literature
The one between Zara Home and Gallimard is the next and ‘highest’ step. It also recalls similar initiatives that have combined luxury and literature. Miu Miu, for instance, set up pop-up Summer Reads kiosks this summer, where it distributed free volumes personally selected by Miuccia Prada. Louis Vuitton transformed several popular bars in Shanghai into pop-up bookshops.
Valentino announced a partnership with the International Booker Prize. In doing so, fashion relies on literature/reading to embrace a sense of intellectuality, also responding to consumers’ desire to slow down the pace, as Francesca Granata, associate professor of fashion studies at the Parsons School of Design in New York, tells Vogue Business. Yet another motivation comes from the fact that Gen Z reads more books than any other generation. In the US and elsewhere.
Zara and Gallimard
By aligning itself with these initiatives, Zara Home seems consistent with the strategy of gradually moving towards the premium segment. However, it is precisely the brand’s (commercial) ulterior motives that attract criticism from the risk of trivialising the book, putting it on the same level as a decorative accessory, to the exploitation of literature as a mere marketing tool. The Miralta publishing agency gives the example of the literary corners in Jennyfer fashion shops.
Books that the brand emphasises are visible on BookTok, giving the impression of an agreement with the social network. Malice? These days, perhaps it is better to be ‘sweeter’. This brings to mind another Zara initiative. The Zara by Castro cafeteria was created in collaboration with the historical pastry shop Castro Atelier and dedicated to ‘pasteis de nata’, the Portuguese sweets. It is located inside the large 5,000 square metre Zara store in the centre of Lisbon. The brand’s pattern is always the same: ally yourself with the best to raise your own level. (mv)
Read also:
- And then the brands discovered how cool it is to read
- Understanding the Korean consumer to understand where the world is going
- How geopolitics is transforming fashion and luxury