Here’s the scoop: Forever 21 is considering filing for bankruptcy. It should be noted that this doesn’t necessarily mean the company is shutting down, but rather they have a serious debt problem they need to get out of before moving forward.
At first glance, sustainable fashion fiends like myself might think this is great! The death of fast fashion! While consumer awareness about the skeleton’s in Forever 21’s closet may point to their downfall, there’s actually a more likely answer and it isn’t pretty.
Let’s break it down. Forever 21 is a textbook fast-fashion company. They spit out new designs rapid-fire to keep up with whatever trend is happening that week. On top of that their prices are astonishingly low. It’s no wonder it was such a popular destination for me and my friends as teenagers when we had nothing but babysitting money in our pockets. However, this kind of production comes at a cost. Cosmopolitan’s Style Director Charles Manning was quoted in a Washington Examiner article saying:
“Brands like Forever 21 need cheap (even criminally cheap) labor to produce goods they can then turn around and sell at the insanely low prices consumers have come to expect. But it is impossible to ethically produce a dress for $18 without it severely impacting a company's bottom line, which, let's be real, is the only thing any company actually cares about.”
If you’ve been around on this blog for a while you know this makes Forever 21 a prime candidate for the Andrea-doesn’t-shop-here list. The fast-fashion giant’s declining sales show us I’m not the only one who no longer shops at Forever 21. But my fellow Young Millenials might have a different reason for breaking up with the brand
Solely-online fast-fashion retailers like zaful, shein, boohoo, and nasty gal are becoming increasingly popular among Gen Z and Millenials who want to look trendy on a budget. The rise of these online marketplaces is the main cause of the demise of brick and mortar stores found in malls like Forever 21.
So it looks like consumers have replaced one fast-fashion problem with another, even larger, fast-fashion craze. Pretty grim news if you ask me. Is there hope for change anytime soon?
The market has spoken: online shopping is in and brick and mortar is out. Luckily, the thrifting game
is keeping up. Apps like depop, poshmark, thredup, and the up-and-coming relovv, allow users to buy second-hand items from the comfort of their own home. And while youtube is filled with influencers promoting these online fast fashion stores through brand deals, there are also innumerable creators making thrifting content.
Thrifting has been around for a while, but it is fighting the good fight to stay relevant. The deciding factor on which consumption habits will come out on top will be the conscious decision people are making to act more sustainably.
So spread the word on social media, have a conversation with a friend, share this blog post. We can and will have a better tomorrow if we all do our part and be the change.
Want to follow along with my background research? Check out these articles that informed my post from Forbes, Vox, Washington Examiner, and MTV
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