STORY: Zara owner Inditex had a strong, forecast-beating start to summer trading.
It reported Wednesday that sales grew 11.5% in May.
That's even as worries over Iran war inflation hurt consumer confidence.
The strong sales growth could help reassure investors the fast fashion giant can weather the global turmoil.
And perhaps even benefit as some shoppers trade down from more expensive clothing brands.
Inditex, whose shares are down on the year, has also seen a lift in profitability from a year ago despite higher raw material and freight costs.
Zara has invested in new, bigger stores and boosted marketing to draw in new customers while increasing prices.
And in May it launched a new clothing collection with Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny.
He wore custom Zara outfits during his NFL Super Bowl halftime show in February.
The first quarter is typically Inditex's smallest in terms of sales and profits.
And investors have kept a close eye on the $190 billion company, which owns smaller brands including Massimo Dutti and Bershka, due to the war's impact.
Inditex shares were up 5% in morning trade.
