Leadership doesn’t necessarily mean following convention or adhering to a formula. That’s one of the things Marta Ortega Pérez learned from her father, Amancio Ortega, the reclusive founder of the multibillion-dollar fashion behemoth Zara. Like her father—who still comes to the office nearly every day at age 85—Ortega Pérez sits at a shared workspace among fellow employees at Zara. Although she does not have an official title, our profile makes clear she’s become an essential part of the branding and style setting that has made the company a standout among its competitors by being so nimble and responsive to shifts in consumer tastes.
Long before fashion houses were massive global businesses, the remote Banda archipelago, among the many thousands of islands that make up Indonesia, was at the center of an international spice trade. The world’s original exclusive source of nutmeg, these volcanic islands can make modern visitors feel as though they’re voyaging back to the distant past. As our story illustrates, owing to infrequent ferry service and a lack of a major airport, it’s a place best explored by chartered yacht—with a traditional Indonesian schooner perhaps the ideal vessel for taking in its scenic wonders.
