Ch. 1 - Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

Forever 21 was founded by a Korean couple, Do Won "Don" Chang and Jin Sook Chang. The first store was established in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 1984. The store was originally named "Fashion 21" and by the end of the first year, sales increased to $700,000. Do Won Chang started to become successful by opening new stores every six months and eventually changing the name to Forever 21.

In 1989, Forever 21 opened its 11th and first store located in a mall. Since then, most stores are located in major malls nationwide. By 1997, Forever 21 had reached up to 40 stores and rapidly increasing throughout the United States. Stores can also be found in Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. By 2002, Forever 21 Inc. was ranked as one of the 50 largest privately held companies in Los Angeles. The company included many brands such as, Forever 21, Fashion 21, XXI, XXI Forever, Love 21, Love & Beauty, Life in Progress, For Love 21 and 21 Men. Forever 21 sells clothing apparel for women (Plus Sizes included), men, and kids. As well as accessories, and shoes. 

Today, Forever 21 operates over 480 stores and revenue is about $3.85 billion.

Mission Statement

"A phenomenon in the fashion world, Forever 21 provides shoppers with an unprecedented selection of today's fashions, always changing and always in style.”

Forever 21 has seen some remarkable accomplishments over the past 30 years. With a goal to become an $8 billion company by 2017 and open 600 stores in the next three years, it’ll be exciting to see the company achieve in three years what it initially took 30 years to do.