Zara is a vertically integrated retailer. It designs, produces, and distributes itself.[15] Unlike similar apparel retailers in the same market, Zara controls most of the steps on the supply-chain. 50% of the products Zara sells are manufactured in Spain, 26% in the rest of Europe, and 24% in Asian countries and the rest of the world. [16] So while competitors outsource production to Asia, Zara makes its most fashionable items -- half of all its merchandise -- at a dozen company-owned factories in Spain. Clothes with a longer shelf life, such as basic T-shirts, are outsourced to low-cost suppliers, mainly in Asia and Turkey.[17]