Zara Opens Flagship Store in China’s Nanjing with Cafe and Content Creation Studio 

People walk outside a newly opened Zara flagship store in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China March 20, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside a newly opened Zara flagship store in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China March 20, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Zara Opens Flagship Store in China’s Nanjing with Cafe and Content Creation Studio 

People walk outside a newly opened Zara flagship store in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China March 20, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside a newly opened Zara flagship store in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China March 20, 2025. (Reuters)

Inditex-owned fast-fashion retailer Zara opened what it dubbed a new-style Asia flagship store in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing on Friday as part of its global push to cut underperforming shops and double down on larger retail formats.

The Spanish company has put in place more digital integration and spaces designed to encourage shoppers to spend more time in-store, with the new features to be trialed in China before it decides whether to expand them to other markets.

The need to revitalize Zara's retail network has been particularly apparent in China. Multinational brands targeting the country's middle-class consumers have been squeezed by a broader spending slowdown as well as increased competition from local brands with nimble domestic supply chains and strong digital presences.

At 2,500 sq m (26,909 sq ft) spanning two floors, the Zara store in Nanjing's central business district of Xinjiekou includes a salon for private shopping experiences, complete with a lounge area and personal change rooms.

It also has a "fit check" studio with multiple cameras and lighting settings where customers can shoot their own video content and download it directly to their phones. Both are available to book via popular social messaging app WeChat.

The downstairs area also features the first Zacaffe coffee shop concept outside of Spain.

It is not the first time Zara has experimented with new concepts in China before exporting them to other markets. Its popular series of livestreamed shopping shows on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, last year led the brand to experiment with similar livestreams in Europe and the US.

Inditex has been shrinking its store footprint globally over the past few years, seeking to optimize its selling space by focusing on flagship outlets in prime locations and ramping up online sales.

As recently as 2019 Inditex had 570 stores in China, its biggest physical footprint after Spain. That number had fallen to 132 as of January 31 this year.



It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
TT

It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)

As springtime sunshine finally hits New York City, the Met Gala beckons — one of the most anticipated and visible parties in the world.

This year, the theme — “Tailored For You" — is focused on classic tailoring. As always, the dress code is inspired by the spring exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. The show looks at the evolution of Black style over the centuries through the lens of dandyism.

Here are some key things to know as fashion's biggest night approaches:

When is the Met Gala? The gala happens the first Monday in May — this year, May 5.

What exactly is the Met Gala? Not everyone knows that the gala is actually a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met. Last year the evening brought in a whopping sum of more than $26 million to the museum's coffers.

Was it always this big? Definitely not. It started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper – held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.

Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala? Each year brings a new group of celebrity co-chairs. This year they are Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky — along with Anna Wintour, the influential Vogue editor who always oversees the proceedings. NBA superstar LeBron James is honorary chair.

Who else is attending the Met Gala so far? Word on attendees trickles out slowly in the weeks leading up to the event. But this year there’s also a huge additional host committee with stars from various fields. (They don’t have specific host duties, other than showing up and, it goes without saying, looking fabulous.)

It includes athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; and actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope, and musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000.

Also in the group are author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

Can anyone buy a ticket to the Met Gala? In a word: No. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?

If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? Individual tickets start at $75,000. Generally, though, companies buy tables. A fashion label, for example, would then host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 this year, as it did last year. There will be approximately 400 guests.

How strict is the dress code? The code is meant to be a guide, not a hard rule, and loose interpretation is encouraged.

How do guests spend the evening? Guests enter the museum and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s grand lobby – always a talking point. Often there is an orchestra playing nearby. At the top of the grand staircase, Wintour and her co-hosts form a receiving line. Guests then head to view the exhibit, which is followed by dinner. The most hotly anticipated guests sometimes arrive around dessert time for maximum impact (we're looking at you, Rihanna).