Forever 21's stylish sisters may be the fast-fashion brand's secret weapons
LOS ANGELES — As Forever 21 continues to rocket into the 21st century, competitors are undoubtedly trying to decode the fast-fashion chain's successful formula.
Forever 21 has all that, but the real secret weapon may be a couple of women who look as if they're barely out of high school.
If this is the first time you're reading about the sisters, it's because the company has shied away from courting the media. A reporter visiting Forever 21's downtown L.A. headquarters is admitted only to the lobby and a conference room. The building doesn't even have a sign outside.
But now the Chang sisters, best friends who are "pretty much inseparable" when they aren't traveling, are talking — and they are such perfect faces for the brand, you wonder why they haven't been out front all along.
FOREVER'S BEGINNINGS
By 2000 the company had 100 stores. Nonetheless, Linda and Esther weren't swimming in free clothes. "I never felt like it was a candy store," Linda said. "I was always concerned about how we could make it better."
There, all eight of Forever 21's collections are merchandised in separate departments, each with its own visuals. Every current spring trend is covered — tribal (
And that has earned the chain some props.
"With the younger fashionistas, it is a must-see," said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the
No doubt the recession has helped fuel the growth of Forever 21, which has 456 stores and counting. But so have social media outreach and more compelling store environments, both of which are due in no small part to Linda and Esther.
THE NEXT GENERATION
As kids, when the Chang daughters weren't studying, they were helping out, wielding price tag guns at the company warehouse on
"A brand image and having our customers understand who we were, that was what was missing," she said. "We were just doing what we could to survive because we had expanded so quickly."
She hired a staff (which now numbers 20), launched a Facebook page (now at 747,000 followers), a Twitter feed (73,000 followers) and a blog, the Skinny, aimed at the Teen Vogue set. Forever 21 largely bypasses old media, reaching out to customers and fashion bloggers directly. Blog content is updated daily with DIY projects (rainbow hair streaks), video of Forever 21 shoppers (British pop star
Linda is eager to shape the Forever 21 story as "a realization of the American dream founded by immigrants on really hard work" and to make headlines for things other than allegations of design theft. (Forever 21 has settled several lawsuits over alleged copyright infringement.)
"We are a retailer, and the majority of our merchandise is bought, not manufactured," she said. "When you see our stores, there's fresh new merchandise every day. We're getting more proactive, but mistakes happen, and I think it comes up more for us because of our millions of styles."
"It's the nature of fast fashion," adds Esther, speaking for a generation raised on free downloads.
If Linda is giving Forever 21 a voice, her sister is giving it a more colorful look. As head of the visuals department (the company eschews formal titles), Esther supervises 30 people, including display and graphics designers and merchandisers.
CLOSE TO THE VEST
Forever 21 famously has "John 3:16" printed on the bottom of every shopping bag, referring to a New Testament scripture, and Bibles are on display in the corporate offices. "It's a proclamation of my parents' faith, not them saying you all have to believe," Esther said.
Her sister agreed, adding, "I wouldn't say we're as devout as they are, but that's not to say we won't eventually get there."
For now, they have a seriousness of purpose that comes from knowing that someday the business will be theirs.
"I love it when people come out of our stores being so happy," Linda said. "You go into some places and buy one item, and come out thinking, 'Should I have gotten that?' But our customers don't have to feel that way. They can spend