The Downfall of ‘Forever' 21

For a teenager living in the 2000s, it would be hard to imagine a mall without Forever 21. What once was a staple in high school hallways is now struggling to mature alongside its customers. Despite the brand's best efforts, closures and decreases in already low prices are alerting costumers that bankruptcy might be in store for Forever 21.

April 1984: The Start of Forever

Amid the masculine silhouettes, spandex, and neon of 80's fashion, two South Korean immigrants envisioned the foundation of a trendy, yet accessible, women's clothing chain. After spending three short years in America, Do Won Chang and Jin Sook invested $11,000 of their savings into what we now know as Forever 21. With this investment, the couple founded Fashion 21 in Highland Park, a suburb of Los Angeles. Within its first year, the store generated $700,000 in sales, catalyzing the start of a true "rags to riches" story.

Image Courtesy: Yelp

The 2000s: Building the Brand

Spurred by its successful launch in California, the chain continued to spread internationally, and another location was added around every six months. By 2010, the amount of Forever 21 stores had increased to 480 worldwide. While many department stores were struggling, Forever 21 continued to thrive off of the fast-fashion concept. Wall Street Journal describes this concept as "trendy, inexpensive garments mass-produced at lightning speed in subcontracted factories and hawed in thousands of chain stores worldwide." The popularity of this trend allowed the number of stores to increase to 600 in 2014. Despite Chang's wish to double the number of brick-and-mortar stores, the store count plateaued at 800 in 2018. Despite their growth, the company experienced its fair share of controversies which did not help their looming financial situation.

September 2013

In a controversy fueled by cultural appropriation, of which this would not be the last, Forever 21 pulled a line of Compton-inspired t-shirts featuring the slogans: "Ice Cube," "City of Compton," and "N.W.A.: The World's Most Dangerous Group." Customers took to Twitter to express their concerns, specifically with having white models represent the line. While this could've been deemed as a moment of poor judgment, the brand encountered this complaint again with a line of sweaters inspired by Marvel's Black Panther in 2018.

Image Courtesy: Women’s Wear Daily

August 2016

Despite the near-constant controversy surrounding Forever 21, celebrities continued to collaborate with the brand. Justin Bieber rolled out an eight-piece collection of Purpose Tour-inspired merchandise. In a statement for Teen Vogue the Vice President of Merchandising, Linda Chang, explains that the line's purpose was to "give [our] customers and Justin Bieber fans access to one of the most in-demand merchandise lines in the world."

July 2017

Forever 21 continued their collaborations with Khalid, who represented their #F21XMUSIC and #WEARFOREVER campaign. To highlight musical artists, while drawing in customers, the brand released this collaboration. Forever 21 strayed away from the graphic t-shirts and sweatshirts included in Justin Bieber's campaign, and instead advertised a more ‘mature' style.

Image Courtesy: Billboard

November 2018

In 2018, Forever 21's financial issues began to arise, with copyright lawsuits only compounding the problem. Beginning in 2017, Puma sued Forever 21 after they began selling copycat designs of Rhianna's Fenty line. The outcome of this case is confidential. In February of this year, the company also faced legal action from Gucci over the use of signature stripes.

2019: Is Forever Temporary?

Unsurprisingly, the fast-fashion market relies on split-second decisions, some of which can be risky. While this should have been contained to Forever 21's merchandise, decisions made in the company's prime to help them expand are ultimately hurting them. In 2014, Forever 21 began catering to a larger audience to rival traditional department stores. Robin Lewis, in an article for Forbes, explains that "When you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being nothing to anybody."

Forever 21's sector in the fast-fashion market pales in comparison to online brands like Fashion Nova, Nasty Gal, and Princess Polly. In 2019, consumers want instant gratification and, in these situations, the multi-level, department store-like spaces they occupy aren't ideal. This mindset is reflected in its sales, which are estimated to have decreased by 20-25% in 2018.

Image Courtesy: LA Times

It's hard to watch a company that was so integral to the style of today's youth suffer. Although Forever 21 tried to adapt to their market, they couldn't quite broaden their horizons past graphic t-shirts and celebrity knockoffs. Although recent press releases claim that they're continuing with "business as usual," it's unlikely that the brand will truly last forever.

Strike Out,

Writer: Haley Hauk-Landon

Editor: Giselle Parks and Savannah Tindall

Tallahassee