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Zara's Hot Polka Dot Dress Beats Big Data
Inditex’s flagship brand is renowned for its old-school approach to trend spotting. Can this survive the rise of big data?
Zara has to show that it can cope with the future.
Photographer: Jason Alden/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A $69.90 polka dot dress from Zara has become the fashion hit of the summer. Despite little email or social media promotion from the chain, the flowy, universally flattering mid-length frock has become so ubiquitous that someone has created an Instagram account to collect sightings of it out in the fashion wilds – including several that appear to show multiple women wearing it to the same event.
The frenzy around the garment epitomizes the ability of the brand’s parent, Inditex SA, to ride a sartorial wave.