50 creatives for 50 years: Zara toasts five decades with an exclusive collection by a star-studded list of designers

This year, Zara turns 50, and to celebrate, the Spanish company enlisted as many creative friends as its years in business. Each creative was asked to create a piece that would encapsulate the spirit of Zara, and the group spans different creative fields that reflect the company's evolution over the past five decades, from a fashion retailer to a leading lifestyle brand.

The list of people (which coincidentally are also the names for the perfect birthday party guestlist) includes Rosalia, Es Devlin, Marc Newson, Alexandre De Betak, Naomi Campbell, Nick Knight, Pat McGrath and Vincent Van Duysen, among many more. The eclectic collection features fashion, accessories, furniture and design objects, all united by a desire to celebrate Zara.

The fifty objects will be unveiled this week at a dedicated pop-up in Paris, and all proceeds from the collection will be donated to non-profit organisation Women's Earth Alliance, whose mission is to protect our environment by empowering women's leadership. Zara will match the donation, while also donating 20,000 euros to 50 charitable organisations chosen by the participating artists.

With great freedom granted to each creative for its tribute, the objects in the collection give us a great glimpse into their personal universe. Pierpaolo Piccioli's hot pink surfboard, Luca Guadagnino's dog-embroidered jumper, Sarah Andelman's book holder, Christy Thurlington's luggage are as unexpected and bold as they are intimate.

'I’ve learned that when I attempt to fill a void with art, I’m really encircling the void with practice, participation, and love,' Es Devlin told us of her concrete lamp, defined by a series of layers of materials around an empty core.

In its five decades, Zara has demonstrated its ability to speak different creative languages, adapting them to its accessible fashion and design approach. Recent collaborations with the likes of Samuel Ross, Guido Palau, Collagerie and Vincent Van Duysen are a testament to the company's wide reach.

Van Duysen in particular has collaborated on a wide interiors collection presented over the past few years, which distilled the designer's visual codes into new furniture and object designs. 'It gave me the opportunity to reflect on who I am – not only as a person but also as an architect and as a designer,' he told Wallpaper* at the time.

For the anniversary, he created a glass vessel whose starting point was 'the sensuality and femininity expressed through its continuous lines,' he told us. 'As you move around the piece, it reveals ever-changing textures and perspectives, much like life itself. This work is also a tribute to the excellence of Spanish craftsmanship: a celebration of singular pieces, each with its own distinct character. No two alike.'

Meanwhile, Bureau Betak founder Alexandre de Betak created a pyramid-shaped lamp: 'pyramids and moving lights have always been obsessions—from album covers of The Cure, Pink Floyd, and Earth, Wind & Fire since a kid, to elaborate light-and-buzzer contraptions guarding my teenage bedroom, all mixed with chic Gabriella Crespi–inspired brass dream objects of the time.'

'Zara’s wonderfully global reach and reputation for quality design has made for a hugely enjoyable collaboration,' adds Marc Newson, who created a set of colourful glasses. 'Here, as is often my way, I wanted to toy with material limits and expectations. These luminous glass tumblers exploit colour as a solid entity: we assume glass will carry a degree of translucence, but here the opposite is true. The result is a joyful and functional collection; pops of colour on your kitchen table.'

The anniversary collection is unveiled through a week-long pop-up during Paris Fashion Week, with an exhibition space curated by Sarah Andelman, which will include a bespoke soundtrack by Michel Gaubert and a café by We Are Ona, as well as a series of talks moderated by Derek Blasberg.

'It is an honour that these artists have chosen to mark our birthday with us in this way,' says Marta Ortega Pérez, Nonexecutive Chair of Inditex. 'Each is a leader of their field, in terms of imagination, innovation and integrity. They share the same passions as Zara have since the beginning: quality of craft and the joy of design.'