Who Owns Zalora?

Zalora launched in 2012 in Singapore, part of Rocket Internet's program of building regional clones of proven e-commerce models in emerging markets. The platform targeted Southeast Asia's young, mobile-first consumers at a moment when organized fashion retail barely existed online in markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The brand expanded rapidly across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Brunei, building localized sites with local payment options including cash on delivery, which was essential in markets with low credit card penetration. In 2014 the regional operations were folded into Global Fashion Group, and GFG went public in Frankfurt in 2019.

Zalora developed its own private labels, including the house brand formerly called Ezra, and built a marketplace model alongside direct retail, allowing brands like Abercrombie and Fitch to reach Southeast Asian shoppers through the platform starting in 2017. It later added luxury categories, beauty, and a loyalty program called Zalora VIP.

After several difficult years for emerging-market e-commerce, GFG refocused the business on profitability and margin discipline. In 2025, the group appointed Felipe Garcia Alvarez as Zalora CEO, with a mandate to refresh the assortment, customer experience, and marketing in Southeast Asia.