Forever 21 History
Forever 21 is a fast-fashion retail clothing chain with stores in the US, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East. The chain started in 1984 with a single store, then called “Fashion 21,” in Los Angeles, California. Although the store’s clothing is now targeted to younger women, its original customers were middle-aged women.
The Founder of Forever 21
Do Won Chang, an entrepreneur originally from South Korea, had the idea to open the fashion store after he noticed that the most successful business people worked in the garment and fashion industries. Originally, the store sold fashions popular in South Korea to the LA Korean-American community. Soon, though, the store became popular with a wide variety of people, seeking fashionable clothing an inexpensive prices.
Running the retail chain is a family affair. Chang works with his wife, Jin Sook, as well as his two daughters, Esther and Linda. Linda acts as head of marketing while Esther is in charge of graphics and displays.
The Growth of Forever 21
After the opening of the first Fashion 21 store, Forever 21 grew rapidly. Sales increased considerably during the first year, from $35,000 to $700,000. The company began opening more stores in Southern California and soon was opening stores at the rate of two per year. By 1989, there were 11 stores, including one in the Panaroma Mall in California. This store was the first to Forever 21 store located in a mall.
In 1995, the first store outside of California opened in the Mall of the Americas in Florida. The company had 40 stores open by the end of 1997. Moving into the 21st century, the chain began to open a variety of stores, including the original format, XXI Forever stores, Heritage 1981 stores, and Love21, a store specializing in accessories.
The number of stores is not the only growth the chain has seen in its history. The stores have dramatically increased in size as well. In 1995, the chain opened its largest store at 5,000 square feet. By 2010, the average store was 9,000 square feet. In 2010, the company began to open department stores that ranged from 85,000 to 150,00 square feet in places such as California and New York City.
