Spanish fashion without the country-of-origin effect

Abstract

Despite the campaigns carried out by the Spanish State to improve the international image of the country and to promote Spanish fashion since the 1980s, Made in Spain barely adds value to fashion products in the international market. However, several Spanish fashion companies – Inditex, Mango, Desigual, Tendam – have achieved a spectacular international expansion since the end of the twentieth century, using their own commercial networks with stores in about a hundred countries. The leading company of this group, Inditex, has become the largest clothing retailer in the world. This chapter discusses country branding and promotion of fashion by the Spanish State and its results, the strategy adopted by Spanish fashion companies to counteract the absence of a strong country brand in order to compete in foreign markets, and the reasons why the success of these companies has not substantially strengthened the image of Spain in the world of fashion.