It will be a very sexy summer, romantic, cowboy and rock.

At least according to Mehdi Sousanne. He should know. He is a designer for Zara, who helped create clothes for brands, one of the most successful stories in high street fashion.

Zara is owned by Inditex, the world's largest fashion retailer, which owns a series of store chains, including Massimo Dutti and Pull & Bear.

It relies on 1,800 suppliers around the world, but almost all of the clothes are brought to Spain where the company is located, sending it to stores in 97 countries.

Zara does not advertise and rarely conducts interviews. But, since it was 50 years since its first store opened, I came to Galicia’s sprawling campus to meet with bosses and workers and rarely learn about how secret brands work.

At this time, the company found itself having to navigate a rapidly changing market, and competition among super cheap online players Shein and Temu is growing, with shipments directly from China, as well as uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs.

But Inditex CEO Oscar Garcia Macearas said tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump will not undermine its supply chain or change Zara's plans to further expand in the United States, now its second largest market.

He told me: "Remember that diversity is key for us. We are producing in nearly 50 different markets with non-exclusive suppliers, so we can not only adapt to changing ourselves."

The business has certainly adapted and evolved since the first store opened a short drive in the town of Coruna.

Now, it has 350 designers and staff from 40 different countries.

"There are no rules in general. It's all about feelings," said Mehdi, who is committed to the key work of the season.

He said the inspiration was from anyone from “streets” to cinemas and fashion shows. Once he created an important mood board, he likes to sketch out his own ideas.

In the pattern cutting room, the design becomes a paper sample and is fixed to the mannequin. Then dozens of tailorers ran to the first fabric samples for the first accessories.

Model maker Mar Marcote has been working for 42 years and is still using a magnifying glass to inspect each piece of clothing before finally entering production.

“When you finish the item, you see it looks good and then sell it out sometimes, which is great,” she said.

Zara is a business that has changed the way we shop.

In the past, retailers released only two major series each year, namely spring and summer and autumn/winter. For decades, most chains outsourced manufacturing to low-cost factories in the Far East, and clothes arrived six months later.

Zara goes against traditional wisdom by purchasing many clothes more frequently and changes products. This means it can respond faster to the latest trends and put new items into the store every week.

More than half of its clothes are made in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Türkiye. There is a factory running small production on site at the headquarters, and there are seven nearby plants.

As a result, it can turn the product around in a few weeks.

Production of more basic fashionable staples in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Logistics and data are other factors in its success. Each garment is packaged and sent from a distribution center in Spain and from a garment in the Netherlands.

"The absolute key is the level of accuracy," said CEO Mr. Maceiras.

“This allows us to make the right decision at the last minute to properly evaluate our customers’ appetites to adapt our fashion proposition to the profile of our customers in different locations.”

In other words, send the right product to the right store.

At headquarters, product managers then receive real-time data on how stores are sold globally and (critical) feedback from customers, then shared with designers and buyers, who can adjust the scope of the season as needed.

Unlike some other high street competitors, discounts are only available when they sell twice a year.

But has Zara started to lose her light after launching slower sales growth at the beginning of this year?

“For Inditex, the key challenges continue to exist in the fashion world that continue to become faster and cheaper,” said William Woods, European retail analyst at Bernstein.

Mainstream competitors such as H&M, Mango and Uniqlo are not only trying to catch up, but the market is also undermined by Shein and Temu.

Last year, Shein's global sales were $38 billion, second only to Inditex.

Asked how much threat Shein and Temu pose to Zara's success, Mr. Maceiras stressed that its business model does not rely on price.

“Of course, we are considering offering our products to our customers at affordable prices. But for us, it is crucial to fashion that provides inspiration, quality, creativity and sustainability to our fashion.”

Zara has come a long way since Zara founder Amancio Ortega started the business.

The company is still owned by his family, and daughter Marta is now the president of the organization.

According to Mr. Maceiras, Mr. Ortega, 89, is still famously reclusive, but is still emerging.

“He is definitely a being, physical or moral being.”