Which Spanish businessman founded Zara?

The Spanish businessman who founded Zara was Amancio Ortega.

Ortega opened the first Zara store in A Coruña, Galicia, in 1975. He had already built experience in clothing production: in 1963, he founded Confecciones Goa, a company that made garments such as quilted bathrobes. His practical knowledge of manufacturing helped shape Zara’s later emphasis on speed and close coordination between design, production, and distribution.

Ortega founded Zara with Rosalía Mera, his then-wife and a major business collaborator. Because the question asks specifically for the Spanish businessman, Amancio Ortega is the canonical answer; Mera is the important co-founder who is often omitted in simplified accounts.

Ortega later became the principal shareholder and founder of Inditex, the group that owns Zara and several other fashion brands. He is widely associated with the development of modern fast fashion, although Zara’s business model evolved through the work of many designers, managers, and technology specialists.