Rosalía Mera

Rosalía Mera
Born	Rosalía Mera Goyenechea Template:Birth date A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
Died	August 15, 2013(2013-08-15) (aged 69) A Coruña, Spain
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, business leader
Years active	1975–2013
Known for	Co-founder of Zara and Inditex

Rosalía Mera Goyenechea (28 January 1944 – 15 August 2013) was a prominent Spanish entrepreneur and business leader. At the time of her passing, she held the distinction of being Spain's wealthiest woman and the richest self-made female worldwide. In 1975, alongside her then-husband Amancio Ortega Gaona, she established the Zara brand, which evolved into the largest fashion retailer globally.

Early life and education

Mera was born in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. She left formal education at the age of eleven to begin working as a sales assistant in a clothing store.

Career

Together with Ortega, Mera started by designing lingerie and dresses from home. Their first Zara outlet opened in 1975 in A Coruña. The brand’s rapid growth was driven by its ability to swiftly reproduce trending fashion items and offer them at affordable prices.

A decade later, they created Inditex as a parent company to manage their expanding ventures. Today, Inditex encompasses several fashion labels, with Zara as its leading brand. The portfolio also includes Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Uterque, and Zara Home. Inditex operates more than 6,000 stores in 86 countries and employs upwards of 120,000 individuals. Although Mera and Ortega divorced in 1986, she maintained a 7% ownership stake in the corporation.

In addition to her involvement in fashion retail, Mera invested in companies specializing in fingerprint identification kits for newborns and supported Zeltia, a firm engaged in developing cancer treatments derived from both synthetic chemicals and natural marine compounds.

According to Forbes’ 2013 billionaire rankings, Mera was the richest self-made female entrepreneur worldwide, with a net worth surpassing $6 billion. She was Spain’s second wealthiest person after her former husband.

Political and philanthropic activities

Mera publicly opposed conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s initiatives to restrict abortion rights in Spain and challenged austerity measures affecting healthcare and education sectors. She founded the Paideia Foundation, which aids socially marginalized groups.

Personal life

In 1966, Mera married Amancio Ortega Gaona. The couple had two children: Sandra (born 1968) and Marcos (born 1971), who lived with cerebral palsy. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1986.

Death

On 14 August 2013, while vacationing in Menorca, Mera suffered a stroke that led to an irreversible medical condition. She was subsequently transferred to Hospital San Rafael de A Coruña and passed away on 15 August 2013. Inditex publicly announced her death on 16 August, recognizing her crucial contribution to the company’s origin and expansion. She was laid to rest in Oleiros, A Coruña.

Her daughter, Sandra Ortega Mera, inherited her fortune and became Spain’s wealthiest woman with an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion.