Norman Foster, Es Devlin and Marc Newson among 50 creatives to design pieces for Zara's 50th anniversary collection

Architect Norman Foster has designed a briefcase, while designer Es Devlin created a concrete lamp for a collection to mark the 50th anniversary of Spanish fashion brand Zara.

The brand gave the 50 creatives, all described as “friends of Zara”, free rein to design a piece of clothing, furniture or an accessory that aligned with the ethos of the company, which was founded by Amancio Ortega in 1975.

Alongside Foster and Devlin, architect David Chipperfield and designers Marc Newson, Samuel Ross and Vincent van Duysen all created items for the collection.

Other contributors include film director Luca Guadagnino, photographer Annie Leibovitz, singer Robbie Williams and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss.

“It is an honour that these artists have chosen to mark our birthday with us in this way,” said Marta Ortega Pérez, non-executive chair of Zara’s parent company 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.”

For the collection, architects Foster and Chipperfield both designed trios of leather bags.

Foster’s trio includes a briefcase, a cabin bag and a compact toiletry bag made from Italian bridle leather that were designed to “either nest together or stand alone with the practical elegance of a Russian doll”.

Made from untreated and unlined leather, Chipperfield’s trio includes a large holdall, mid-size day bag and a compact handbag.

All the pieces have silver-tone stud detailing along the seams.

Devlin, who is best known for her set designs, chose to create a cube-shaped concrete lamp for the collection.

Produced in a limited edition of 20, the lamp has a “layered iris gesture” on its front, which echoes the designer’s previous large-scale kinetic installations.

Newson and Van Duysen both created pieces from glass. Van Duysen created a sculptural vase from clear glass that was blown and cut entirely by hand.

In contrast, Newson created four colourful tumblers, which will be available in three sizes.

“Reflecting Newson’s vision for tethering industrial design to craft heritage techniques, the limited-edition collection offers a playful, weighty permanence and alluring presence,” said Zara.

Ross, who currently has a multi-year partnership with Zara, created an olive-coloured parka as his contribution to the collection.

Set to be on sale early next month, profits from the collection will benefit non-profit Women’s Earth Alliance, which aims to empower women’s leadership to protect the environment.

All the pieces in the collection will be on display at an exhibition and pop-up curated by Sarah Andelman during Paris Fashion Week.

Paris Fashion Week 2025 takes place 29 September to 7 October across at venues Paris. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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