Forever 21

Retailer / private label

An American fast-fashion retail brand offering affordable trend-led apparel, accessories, beauty products, and home merchandise.

Last updated October 26, 2026

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Overview

Forever 21 is an American fast-fashion retail brand established in Los Angeles in 1984 by South Korean immigrants Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang. The founders initially operated a small Highland Park store called Fashion 21, selling inexpensive merchandise influenced by styles popular in South Korea and purchased from wholesale closeout channels. The first store was approximately 900 square feet and was financed with about $11,000 in personal savings. After strong early sales, the business expanded rapidly through shopping malls, changed its name to Forever 21, and adopted a trend-driven model based on frequent merchandise turnover and low prices. The retailer became known for large-format stores carrying women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing together with accessories, shoes, lingerie, beauty products, and later home goods. Unlike some youth-oriented competitors, it sought to address multiple age groups and household shoppers. Its expansion accelerated during the 2000s, including the 2005 acquisition of Gadzooks, which helped increase its store count substantially. The company also developed online retail and smaller or adjacent concepts such as For Love accessories stores and Riley Rose, a beauty-focused chain introduced in 2017. Forever 21 reached its greatest scale during the 2010s. It operated hundreds of stores internationally, reported peak global sales of approximately $4.4 billion in 2015, and expanded into markets including Brazil, India, Europe, and Asia. The business model relied on large stores, rapid product changes, mall traffic, and a supply chain capable of translating emerging trends into inexpensive merchandise. The same model also exposed the company to criticism concerning labor practices, environmental impact, design copying, and the social consequences of disposable fashion. From 2017 onward, the retailer faced intensifying competition from online marketplaces and other fast-fashion companies, rising occupancy costs, declining mall traffic, and reputational pressure. It withdrew from several countries and began reducing its physical footprint. Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2019 and sold its assets in 2020 to a consortium associated with Simon Property Group, Brookfield Properties, and Authentic Brands Group. SPARC Group subsequently managed the brand, while international growth increasingly relied on licensing arrangements. The company continued to pursue partnerships, e-commerce, collaborations, and international licensing during the early 2020s. It partnered with JCPenney, entered a reciprocal investment arrangement with Shein and SPARC in 2023, and worked with licensees across Latin America, Europe, Canada, China, and India. However, its United States store business remained under pressure. In 2025, Forever 21 announced extensive U.S. store closures, eliminated hundreds of jobs, closed its Los Angeles headquarters, and filed for Chapter 11 protection again in March. The filing led to liquidation and the permanent closure of its remaining U.S. stores by May 2025. The brand’s international operations and intellectual property were not included in that U.S. retail shutdown. Later plans described a digital-only U.S. relaunch operated through partners, alongside wholesale distribution for men’s, women’s, and children’s products.

History

Forever 21 began as Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles, on April 16, 1984. Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang opened the approximately 900-square-foot shop with savings of about $11,000. Its early merchandise was aimed largely at the local Korean American community and consisted of inexpensive wholesale closeouts and styles influenced by South Korean fashion. First-year sales were reported at approximately $700,000, enabling the founders to expand at a rapid pace. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the company changed its name to Forever 21 and developed the operating formula that defined it: inexpensive products, quick reactions to fashion trends, frequent assortment changes, and mall-based expansion. The business opened stores at a high rate and increasingly served women, men, and children rather than focusing solely on teenagers. In 2005, it bought Gadzooks for a reported $33 million. The transaction helped expand its store base, while larger stores and a prominent Pasadena location demonstrated its ambition to become a broad family-oriented fashion retailer. The company expanded internationally during the 2000s and early 2010s and built an e-commerce channel. By 2013 it had more than 480 stores and reported revenue of about $3.7 billion. International stores increased sharply between 2005 and 2015, and global sales reached a reported peak of approximately $4.4 billion in 2015. Forever 21 also experimented with additional concepts, including For Love accessories stores and the Riley Rose beauty chain, launched in 2017. Growth was accompanied by recurring disputes. Worker organizations accused the company’s contractors of labor-law violations, while later complaints concerned unpaid work, supplier records, and store safety. The brand also faced criticism over cadmium in jewelry, messages on clothing viewed as sexist or dismissive of education, alleged copying of designs, and the environmental and labor effects associated with fast fashion. These disputes became part of the wider public debate over the retailer’s supply chain and business model. The company’s expansion slowed as mall traffic weakened and online competition intensified. Large stores, high rents, fast-fashion rivals, and insufficient digital scale contributed to retrenchment. Forever 21 exited or reduced operations in a number of European and Asian markets, including the Netherlands, Thailand, Ireland, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, and other locations. It filed for Chapter 11 in September 2019 and announced plans to leave numerous countries while concentrating on the United States, Latin America, licensing, and e-commerce. In February 2020, the company’s assets were sold to a group associated with Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group, and Brookfield Properties. SPARC, a joint venture involving ABG and Simon, assumed management, while regional licensees handled much of the brand’s international presence. Forever 21 relaunched online in several countries, entered licensing arrangements in Latin America, re-entered selected European markets digitally, and formed partnerships with JCPenney. It also pursued collaborations, a metaverse retail game, new China distribution arrangements, and an India flagship through licensees. The post-bankruptcy structure did not resolve the long-term challenges of U.S. physical retail. In 2025, Forever 21 announced major store closures, laid off approximately 700 employees in California and Pennsylvania, and closed its Los Angeles headquarters. It filed Chapter 11 again on March 17, 2025, citing declining mall traffic and competition from companies including Shein and Temu. Liquidation began immediately, and the remaining U.S. stores were permanently closed by May. The brand’s international business, trademark, and licensing activities continued. Later plans called for a U.S. online-only relaunch, with separate partners handling digital retail and wholesale categories.

2025
U.S. store shutdown and second Chapter 11 filing
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Forever 21 files for bankruptcy again and liquidates its remaining U.S. store network.
2023
Shein-SPARC reciprocal investment
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Shein and SPARC agree to acquire minority interests in each other.
2021
JCPenney partnership
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Forever 21 begins a major partnership for product distribution through JCPenney.
2020
Asset sale and SPARC management
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
A consortium involving ABG, Simon, and Brookfield acquires the assets, with SPARC assuming management.
2019
First Chapter 11 filing
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Forever 21 seeks bankruptcy protection and announces extensive international withdrawals and store closures.
2017
Riley Rose launches
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Forever 21 introduces Riley Rose, a beauty-oriented retail concept.
2015
Reported peak in global sales
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Global sales are reported to have reached approximately $4.4 billion.
2013
Retail network exceeds 480 stores
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
The company reaches more than 480 stores and reports approximately $3.7 billion in revenue.
2005
Gadzooks acquisition
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Forever 21 acquires the Gadzooks chain, accelerating store-count growth.
1984
First Fashion 21 store opens
[1]Forever 21en.wikipedia.org
Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang open the original Fashion 21 store in Highland Park, Los Angeles.

Products and positioning

Affordable, rapidly changing fast fashion for young and value-conscious consumers, with broad family-oriented merchandise.

Apparel · 1984
Women's apparel
The brand’s principal category includes trend-led tops, dresses, skirts, denim, knitwear, outerwear, activewear, and occasion clothing. Merchandise is designed around rapid seasonal and trend changes, with a strong emphasis on accessible prices and frequent newness.
Apparel
Men's apparel
Forever 21’s men’s assortment extends the fast-fashion model into casualwear, streetwear-influenced pieces, basics, denim, shirts, outerwear, and accessories. The category has also been supported through wholesale and licensing arrangements.
Apparel
Children's apparel
The retailer has offered clothing and accessories for children as part of its broader family-oriented store format. Children’s merchandise has remained part of the brand’s licensing and wholesale plans even as the U.S. store network contracted.
Accessories · 1984
Accessories and footwear
Accessories, bags, shoes, jewelry, and related fashion items complement the apparel lines and support the brand’s low-price, impulse-oriented retail model. The category has included both Forever 21 merchandise and products created through licensing partnerships.
Beauty and home · 2017
Beauty and home goods
Forever 21 expanded beyond apparel into cosmetics, beauty accessories, and selected home merchandise. Riley Rose represented a dedicated beauty-retail experiment, while beauty and home products also appeared within the main brand’s broader assortment.

Controversies

2020
Forever 21 cited by Nevada OSHA in 2020
In August 2020, Nevada OSHA issued citation and penalty notices to three stores at the Fashion Show mall: Saks Fifth Avenue #645, Shiekh Shoes LLC, and Forever 21. The notices concerned observed noncompliance with workplace health and safety requirements. The three stores were penalized a total of $8,501. The agency announced the action as part of its listing of COVID-19-related violations for the week of August 3. The event is recorded as a regulatory enforcement matter involving Forever 21 among the cited retailers.
Source
2019
Weight-loss bars included with plus-size orders
Customers criticized the inclusion of diet bars in some plus-size orders as insensitive. Forever 21 apologized and described the practice as an oversight.
Source
2019
Design-copying and intellectual-property accusations
The company faced repeated accusations and lawsuits alleging that merchandise designs copied independent designers or other brands. Forever 21 described its design and supplier process as proprietary.
Source
2014
Store safety citations
OSHA recommended penalties for serious safety hazards at three Forever 21 locations in Northern New Jersey and Manhattan.
Source
2012
Employee wage and bag-check lawsuit
Employees alleged that time spent on bag checks and additional work was unpaid. A Labor Department inquiry also sought information concerning supplier wages and records.
Source
2011
Cadmium in jewelry
Forever 21 was among retailers associated with jewelry containing cadmium. A settlement established a strict concentration limit and included a payment.
Source
2001
Garment-worker labor allegations
Worker advocates and contracted garment workers alleged minimum-wage violations, altered time records, retaliation, and sweatshop-like conditions. Related litigation and a company defamation suit were settled in 2004.
Source

2022Licensed collaborations with Hervé Léger, Sports Illustrated, and Barbie
United States · International
Forever 21 introduced collaborative product lines with Hervé Léger, Sports Illustrated, and Barbie as part of a strategy using recognizable entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle properties.
Outcome. Added differentiated capsule and licensed merchandise.
Source
2021JCPenney product partnership
United States
Forever 21 and JCPenney created a commercial partnership to place Forever 21 products within JCPenney’s retail ecosystem, extending the brand’s reach after its first bankruptcy.
Outcome. Expanded distribution through a major department-store partner.
Source
2021Forever 21 metaverse fashion game
Digital
The company worked with Virtual Brand Group on a game in which users could operate customized Forever 21 fashion stores, presenting the brand as a digital and virtual-world participant.
Outcome. Extended brand experimentation into virtual retail.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Close remaining U.S. stores and pursue digital relaunchStrategy
Background
The U.S. business faced persistent mall-traffic declines, unprofitable locations, and competition from digital discount platforms.
Action taken
Forever 21 filed Chapter 11 again, liquidated its U.S. stores, closed its Los Angeles headquarters, and planned an online-only U.S. operation supported by wholesale partners.
Aftermath
All U.S. stores were permanently closed by May 2025, while international operations, trademark ownership, licensing, and digital distribution continued.
Source
2020
Sell assets to a consortiumM&A
Background
The bankruptcy process required a buyer for the brand and operating assets.
Action taken
Assets were sold to interests associated with Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group, and Brookfield Properties.
Aftermath
SPARC assumed management while ABG retained a central role in intellectual property and licensing.
Reported asset-sale value. $81 million (2020)
Source
2019
Downsize after first bankruptcy filingStrategy
Background
The company faced declining sales, excessive store size, high rents, international losses, and stronger digital competition.
Action taken
Forever 21 sought Chapter 11 protection, planned to leave numerous countries, close stores, and emphasize the United States, Latin America, e-commerce, and licensing.
Aftermath
The assets were sold in 2020 and the brand continued under SPARC management and a licensing-heavy structure.
Source
2017
Launch Riley RoseProduct launch
Background
Forever 21 sought to diversify beyond apparel and participate in the expanding specialty-beauty market.
Action taken
The company introduced Riley Rose as a beauty-focused retail concept.
Aftermath
The launch broadened the group’s retail portfolio but did not prevent later retrenchment in the core business.
Source
2005
Acquire GadzooksM&A
Background
Forever 21 was pursuing rapid mall expansion and broader youth-fashion coverage.
Action taken
The company acquired the Gadzooks retail chain.
Aftermath
The transaction contributed to a sharp increase in the store network over the following years.
Reported acquisition price. $33 million (2005)
Source

Recent events

2020.08.10
Reported2020.08.10
Nevada OSHA penalizes three Fashion Show mall stores[3]Forever 21 cited by Nevada OSHA in 2020ktnv.com
Nevada OSHA issued citation and penalty notices to Saks Fifth Avenue #645, Shiekh Shoes LLC, and Forever 21 over observed noncompliance with workplace health and safety requirements. The three stores were penalized a total of $8,501.
2020.07.12
Reported2020.07.12
Forever 21 launches Philippine online store and call-to-deliver service[4]Forever 21在菲律宾推出网上商店及电话配送服务sunstar.com.ph
Forever 21 launched an online store on Lazada and a call-to-deliver service in the Philippines.
2020.02.21
Reported2020.02.21
Three investors announce acquisition of Forever 21 stakes[5]三方宣布收购Forever 21股份finance.sina.com.cn
Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property were reported to be acquiring 37.5% stakes each in Forever 21, while Brookfield Property was to acquire a 25% stake; the three parties were to contribute a total of $81.1 million.
Unconfirmed
Reported2020.02.20
Forever 21 acquired by three companies[6]Forever 21被三家公司收购wafb.com
A report said Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group Inc., and Brookfield Property Partners LP acquired Forever 21. Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group were to own 37.5 percent, and Brookfield Property Partners the remaining 25 percent, of the business.
2020.02.12
Reported2020.02.12
Bankruptcy court approves consortium's Forever 21 acquisition deal[7]破产法院批准财团收购Forever 21的交易fashion.sina.com.cn
A U.S. bankruptcy court approved an $81.1 million deal for a consortium comprising Simon Property Group, Authentic Brands Group and Brookfield to acquire Forever 21. The report does not say that the acquisition has been completed.
2019.10.01
Reported2019.10.02
Forever 21 lists a Delaware store as a possible closure[8]Forever 21 将特拉华州一家门店列为可能关闭门店delawareonline.com
Forever 21 released a list of stores that could close as part of its bankruptcy proceedings. One of its three Delaware locations may close; the company said not all listed locations would necessarily close while it sought to renegotiate leases and rents.
Unconfirmed
Reported2019.10.01
Forever 21 offers clearance discounts at Richmond Centre[9]Forever 21在Richmond Centre提供清仓折扣richmond-news.com
Forever 21 offered clearance prices at its Richmond Centre store, including $2 accessories and $12 outerwear.
2019.09.30
Reported2019.09.30
Forever 21 announces global restructuring[10]Forever 21宣布全球重组wbjournal.com
Forever 21 announced a global restructuring that it said would involve closing most of its international locations in Asia and Europe.
Unconfirmed
Reported2019.09.30
Forever 21 receives restructuring financing[11]Forever 21获得重组融资malaymail.com
Forever 21 said it received US$275 million in financing from existing lenders and US$75 million in new capital from TPG Sixth Street Partners and certain affiliated funds.
Unconfirmed
Reported2019.09.30
Forever 21 files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection[12]Forever 21申请第11章破产保护euronews.com
Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company said it would close up to 178 stores.

Sources84 sources

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