What is the name of Zara's co-founder?

Zara’s co-founder was Rosalía Mera.

Rosalía Mera Goyenechea co-founded Zara with Amancio Ortega in 1975. The pair had already worked together in clothing production, developing practical experience in designing and making garments before opening Zara’s first shop in A Coruña, Galicia.

Mera was more than a symbolic partner in the company’s origin story. Her background as a dressmaker and her work in the early clothing business helped shape the enterprise that later became Inditex, Zara’s parent group. The first store sold affordable versions of fashionable clothing and established the rapid, customer-focused model that Zara would expand internationally.

A frequent misconception is that Amancio Ortega was Zara’s sole founder because he became the company’s best-known business leader. Ortega was indeed the other co-founder, but Rosalía Mera is also officially recognized as a founder. After leaving the company’s active management, she remained a major shareholder and became one of Spain’s wealthiest people. She died in 2013 at age 69.