Zara Atelier: Zara’s new coat line is expensive but is it luxury?

As shoppers develop a distaste for fast fashion, the sector’s biggest household brand Zara is embracing high-end craftsmanship with its latest project.

Titled Zara Atelier, the new venture will release only two limited edition collections a year to be sold in select online and offline stores globally.

The first line from the Atelier is a capsule of six opulent coats. Costing around US$400 to US$600 (or Rs. 30,000 to 45,000), the dreamy cocktail coats are made using premium fabrics with couture-style detailing like satin piping, marabou feather trims, intricate embroidery and tons of sequins.

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The Zara Atelier is no doubt the trend-focused brand’s answer to high-end fashion. But a closer look at the coats, photographed by industry veteran Paolo Reversi, shows that luxury is more in the looks of the collection than the actual construction.

Of the six, only one coat is made with 75 per cent wool while the rest range from 5 to 55 per cent wool. The pieces are primarily made with polyester, viscose, polyamide and acrylic.

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From the mid-tier pricing and construction, it appears that Zara is not entering the luxury market but rather just using the language of luxury to tap into the shopper’s need for sophisticated and luxurious-looking products.

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