Amancio Ortega Biography
Amancio Ortega left school at 14, worked in clothes shops in A Coruña and co-founded Zara in 1975, pioneering fast fashion 12.
Full nameAmancio Ortega Gaona
Born28 Mar 1936, Busdongo de Arbas, León, Spain
Age90
NationalitySpain
Known forZara, Inditex
SpouseFlora Pérez Marcote
ResidenceA Coruña, Spain
Amancio Ortega's early life
Ortega was born on 28 March 1936 in Busdongo de Arbas, León, the son of a railway worker. The family moved to A Coruña, Galicia, when he was a boy 2.
Shop boy to manufacturer
He left school at 14 to work as a delivery boy for a shirt maker, then at a clothing shop. In 1963 he started making dressing gowns with a small family company 12.
Zara and Inditex
In 1975 he and his wife, Rosalía Mera, opened the first Zara shop in A Coruña. Inditex, formed in 1985, listed in Madrid in 2001 12.
Stepping back
He stepped down as chairman in 2011, and his daughter Marta became chair in 2022 1.
Frequently asked questions
No. He left school at 14 to work.
In 1975, in A Coruña.
Sources✓ Verified 4 Nov 2026
1 Forbes, Amancio Ortega profile (real-time net worth), 3 Nov 2026
2 Wikipedia, Amancio Ortega, accessed 4 Nov 2026
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