Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega

Founder & Ex-Chairman of Zara

Current Networth - $123.2 Billion

Personal Stats

NameAmancio Ortega
RoleBusinessman
IndustryFashion
Net Worth$123.2 Billion

Table of Contents

  • About Amancio Ortega
  • Businesses Owned
  • Early Life
  • Family
  • What is Amancio Ortega’s Net worth?
  • What is Amancio Ortega’s claim to fame?

About Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega is considered a revolutionary of the fashion industry and is the richest man in Spain. He began his career in the garment industry at a young age, learning the trade in local shops in La Coruña. In 1975, he opened the first Zara store, introducing a new model of fast fashion that revolutionized the retail industry with its rapid production and distribution processes. Under his leadership, Inditex expanded globally, encompassing several other successful brands like Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, and Bershka. Known for his reclusive nature, Ortega has amassed significant wealth, consistently ranking among the world's richest individuals.


Businesses Owned

  • Zara

  • Massimo Dutti

  • Pull&Bear

  • Bershka

  • Stradivarius

  • Oysho

  • Uterqüe

  • Zara Home

  • Pontegadea Inmobiliaria


Early Life

Formative experiences and early ventures laid the groundwork for Ortega's future success in the fashion industry.

  • Born on March 28, 1936, in Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain
  • Moved to A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, at the age of 14.
  • Started working as a delivery boy for a local shirtmaker, Gala.
  • Later worked as a sales assistant at La Maja, a clothing store.
  • Learned about garment production, design, and sales.
  • Began making and selling his own bathrobes with his future wife, Rosalía Mera, in the early 1960s.
  • Founded his first company, Confecciones Goa, in 1963, which produced quilted bathrobes.
  • Opened the first Zara store in La Coruña in 1975 with wife Rosalía Mera.
  • Introduced the concept of fast fashion, emphasizing quick turnaround and affordable pricing.

Family

Ortega has learned different things from both his marriages, and he remains very closely tied to his children.

  • Ortega’s first marriage was to Rosalía Mera in 1966. She also co-founded Zara with Amancio Ortega.
  • His second marriage was to Flora Pérez Marcote in 2001. She worked with Ortega at Inditex and has been involved in various aspects of the business.
  • Ortega had two children with Rosalia Mera, Sandra Ortega Mera and Marcos Ortega Mera; they both work with the family's various charitable foundations.
  • His third child was Marta Ortega Pérez, who was born to Flora Pérez Marcote. Her role is heavily involved in Inditex.
  • Ortega is known for maintaining a low profile and avoiding public attention.
  • Lives in A Coruña, Spain, in a discreet and relatively modest home compared to his wealth.

Amancio Ortega is a Spanish businessman and fashion executive best known for founding the Inditex Group, which owns the fashion brands Zara and Bershka. He pioneered fast fashion, which revolutionized the realm of the fashion industry while leaving an indelible mark on it.

Currently, he ranks among the richest individuals in the world and is continually growing his influence across the globe. Beyond business and fashion, Ortega frequently engages in various philanthropic deeds, contributing to health care, cancer research, and education.

Net Worth$123.2 Billion
Yearly Income$400 million+
ProfessionBusinessman
NationalitySpanish
No. of Houses5+
No. of Cars3+

What is Amancio Ortega’s Net worth?

Amancio Ortega’s Net worth

As of 2024, Amancio Ortega has a net worth of $123.2 Billion.

Amancio Ortega is the richest individual in Spain and is known to earn over a hefty $400 million a year. Most of the wealth primarily comes from his 59.29% ownership of Inditex, a Spanish multinational clothing brand that owns brands like Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, and more.

Since Inditex’s IPO launch in 2001, Ortega has received more than $10 billion in just dividends. Additionally, he has also heavily invested in prime real estate around various major cities around the world, which has further fueled his net worth.


What is Amancio Ortega’s claim to fame?

Ortega’s journey toward fame and becoming one of the most well-known individuals in the fashion world began as a delivery boy for a local shirtmaker named Gala, where he learned how to make clothes by using his hands. Since then he kept polishing his skills, and in 1975 he along with his wife founded Zara. It introduced the fast fashion concept, which rapidly delivers new trends at affordable prices.

A decade later, after he gained success with Zara because of the revolutionary fast fashion concept, Ortega, along with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera, founded Inditex, which served as the parent company of Zara and later the other companies that he currently owns. Under his leadership, Inditex became the largest fashion retailer in the world, making him one of the most prominent people in the fashion industry. Even though he has become one of the richest individuals in the world, he has kept a low profile which keeps his focus on business and further expansion of his company.


What ventures does Amancio Ortega own or is a part of?

While leaving a mark on the global fashion industry, Ortega’s pursuit of innovation and trend-setting has created a huge business empire extending far beyond Zara, all through its parent company, Inditex. Below, we will look at the most prominent businesses that Amancio Ortega owns:

  • Zara ($16.5 billion): This international powerhouse was founded by Amancio Ortega himself in 1975. It offers an array of clothing, shoes, and various other fashion accessories. Currently, Ortega owns around 59.29% of the company through Zara, which is directly connected to his ownership of Inditex.
  • Zara Home ($630 million est.): Amancio also owns Zara Homes, which specializes in manufacturing and delivering trendy home decor at affordable prices.
  • Bershka: This fashion/clothing brand was started by Ortega back in 1998, and it directly operates under the Inditex group. It follows the same fast-fashion concept to provide trendy clothing and accessories to its young audience.
  • Pull&Bear: Pull&Bear is another clothing brand that Amancio has in his diverse portfolio. It was founded in 1991 and is based in La Coruna, Spain. This company is known for offering modern and casual clothing for both men and women.
  • Massimo Dutti ($731.1 million est.): Massimo Dutti is a premium clothing retailer that was founded and established by the Spanish multi-billionaire in 1985. Massimo Dutti offers casual and trendy clothing at affordable pricing and is directly operated under the Inditex group.

These are the most significant ventures that Ortega owns, and they indirectly prove his influence on the fashion and clothing industries. Alongside that, his portfolio of investments also includes some other significant companies, like Stradivarius and more.


How does Amancio Ortega spend his billions?

The Spanish billionaire, being quite a private individual, deliberately keeps a good chunk of the details about his assets a secret. This is also one of the reasons why determining the exact number of cars, estates, and other high-end transportation he owns is challenging, as the details remain shrouded in mystery.


How many properties does Amancio Ortega own?

Ortega is known to own numerous properties across the planet; however, like many billionaires out there, he likes to keep most of the details about his properties a secret. However, it is known that his entire real estate portfolio consisting of various commercial towers, estates, and private home is valued at a whopping $13 billion. Below are some of his known properties: 

  • Haughwot Building, NYC: Located in the SoHo neighborhood, this building was designed by John P. Gaynor in 1856 and features the world’s first elevator. Ortega acquired this historic building in 2015 for a whopping $145 million.
  • Downtown Chicago Hotel: The Dana Hotel, which sits right beside the River North Area, was bought by Ortega for $76 million. 
  • Southeast Financial Center: Amancio Ortega smashed the records in Miami by acquiring the Southeast Financial Center for a staggering $500 million.

Aside from these estates, Amancio Ortega has at least splashed around $5–6 billion on buying a plethora of other high-end estates around the world, especially in places like London, Paris, Miami, and Chicago.


How many different transports does Amancio Ortega own?

The visionary founder of Zara has not only shown his love for real estate but also for cars, private jets, and yachts as well, which offer a good level of premiumness along with the much-required comfort. However, he has not revealed that many details about them, but below are the ones he is known to own.

Cars

  • Mercedes-Benz S-Class: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is surprisingly the priciest car that we know of till now. Ortega has once been spotted standing behind the trunk of this fine luxury sedan, which comes for around $115,000.
  • Mercedes-Benz GLS: The Mercedes-Benz GLS is another of the Mercs that Ortega owns. It is a mighty SUV that boasts a plethora of premium features and amenities on the inside. As for the price, it comes to around $89,995.
  • Mercedes-Benz E-Class: The last and yet the most surprising car among the known ones is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which is another of the Mercs that is rather less premium than the other two but is quite a good daily driver for the billionaire.

Private Jet

  • Gulfstream G650: The only private jet that Amancio Ortega is known to own is the Gulfstream G650, which comes with a price tag of a hefty $66.5 million.

These are just a few of the different cars and jets that are known to be owned by Ortega; however, there are a plethora of other vehicles that the Spanish billionaire has been rumored to own, like an Audi A8 car, a Global Express BD-700 private jet, and a couple more.


What are Amancio Ortega’s charitable contributions?

The Spanish billionaire and businessman Amancio Ortega has not only left a significant impact on the business and fashion world but has also made a handful of major philanthropic contributions till now, completely through his Amancio Ortega Foundation.

  • Amancio Ortega Foundation: The Amancio Ortega Foundation was established by the Spanish visionary and businessman Amancio Ortega in 2001 to contribute to the betterment of education, healthcare, and more.
  • Education: The Amancio Ortega Foundation has been constantly contributing to the educational sector and trying to make advancements in it by providing scholarships, providing better global learning opportunities, and focusing on the quality of education.
  • Scientific Research: The foundation has also funded several research centers, donated a massive $350 million for cancer research and treatment, and invested over $320 million in various healthcare technologies.
  • Social Welfare: The Amancio Ortega-run foundation has contributed the most to various social welfare projects such as the Housing Assistance Program, proton therapy implementation, public oncology support, and many more.

His legacy extends beyond the business world, mainly through philanthropy. Through the Amancio Ortega Foundation, he continues to make an impact while leaving a positive mark in various communities and sectors in different parts of the world.


What’s next for Amancio Ortega? 

Ortega has big plans for this year and the future. He is currently on a real estate buying spree where he has already acquired around $1.2 billion worth of properties, including various residential, office, and logistics spaces.

Aside from that, Ortega, through his foundation, aligned with the United Nations to work on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the coming years.


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FAQs

What is Amancio Ortega's approach on his business?

Unlike many other CEOs out there, Amancio Oretga usually engages in talks with his designers, fabric experts, and buyers right in the factory floor.

How many store does Amancio Ortega's Inditex owns globally?

Globally the Inditex group owns around 7,000 stores, including the stores for Zara, Berksha, and more

What is Amancio Ortega's strategy for Zara's inventory?

Amancio Ortega's strategy for Zara's inventory is to keep the turnover exceptionally high, so that new designs arrive at the stores in every few weeks.


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