Steal this Look : A Look Inside Forever 21

[masquerade]

Originally Posted by OhJane

I went to a couple of Forever 21 stores when I was visiting the US last year. The quality is AWFUL, buttons falling off with the slightest touch, wonky stitching, loose stitching & cheap fabric. Kinda like Primark over here in the UK I guess?

Also, I don't understand those who buy it just because 'oh it's cheap!', because it falls apart after a few wears...why not save a few more $ and buy something better quality that will last longer?

a lot of people can't afford anything more costly than forever 21, even if they wanted to.

[superbeautiful]

Everything I've ever gotten from their has ripped, torn, fallen apart or deteriorated in some way. And I haven't bought much things from there, trust me. I got a pair of sunglasses which broke before I came home, and a trench in which ALL the buttons came off while I wore it out.

[disco54]

their stuff is of extremely cheap material , none the less , the fashion houses which are suing them are sort of petty , you will never see houses like YSL, Prada or Lanvin giving a f*** because in fashion , imitation is the highest form of flatter. Anyways , IMO , Forever21 has deteriated in the past 2 years , save for a few tshirts and tops , their pants and skirts are horrible in fitting . They will burst at one point . For people who do want to be cheap chic , its the place to go , but lately lots of the F21 , is stale IMO and bad quality.

[disco54]

i bought 3 tshirts for 5 bucks each , they had cool prints and were of a soft cotton , i swear within 4 wears , the seams were coming apart lol , very horrendous quality.

[dior_couture1245]

Originally Posted by lucy92

And winning, he says, "is walking through the malls and seeing your store is the most crowded. That's really all that matters."

That's really weird. That's like saying...all that matters is being popular. Doesn't matter that your product is low quality, lousy, tacky and WAY too trendy, just as long as you're raking in the cash, right!

It's so insulting that so many companies sacrifice quality and all personal integrity only to make the CEO's wallets nice and full. God, I hate corporate America.

[kahlilg]

Originally Posted by Spike413

Just because something is expensive and some may deem it overpriced (which truly is in the eye of the beholder) doesn't justify stealing the design to make a huge profit.

I understand and I agree, but I'm just trying to understand why people buy their clothes because their must be a reason.
Also, I've noticed that F21 transcends "class." Hm, what I mean by that is you can find a F21 anywhere. In L.A., for example, you can find it at the Beverly Center, strategically place at the top across from H&M, or you can also find it at the Panorama mall. I think F21 also allows a sense of validity to anyone who wears it because it so affordable. Cheap, but you get what you pay for.

[morgan38]

Originally Posted by OhJane

I went to a couple of Forever 21 stores when I was visiting the US last year. The quality is AWFUL, buttons falling off with the slightest touch, wonky stitching, loose stitching & cheap fabric. Kinda like Primark over here in the UK I guess?

Also, I don't understand those who buy it just because 'oh it's cheap!', because it falls apart after a few wears...why not save a few more $ and buy something better quality that will last longer?

A lot of the stuff at Forever 21 is extremely trendy and probably not something you want to be wearing for years. So the fact that it's cheap is a huge appeal.

Also, some people, especially younger people (who tend to be F21's customers), will never have the money to justify buying expensive clothes, no matter how much they save. Believe it or not, for some people, buying even a few pieces at stores like F21 is a splurge.

And not that I'm really defending the quality of their clothes (because it's really not that great), but I bought a pretty basic black dress there about a year ago, and I've worn it about a thousand times and it's still in great shape.

In regards to whether they're stealing or not..well, they are. But I guess for their prices I can get over it.

[sillysara495]

Originally Posted by morgan38

A lot of the stuff at Forever 21 is extremely trendy and probably not something you want to be wearing for years. So the fact that it's cheap is a huge appeal.

Also, some people, especially younger people (who tend to be F21's customers), will never have the money to justify buying expensive clothes, no matter how much they save. Believe it or not, for some people, buying even a few pieces at stores like F21 is a splurge.

And not that I'm really defending the quality of their clothes (because it's really not that great), but I bought a pretty basic black dress there about a year ago, and I've worn it about a thousand times and it's still in great shape.

In regards to whether they're stealing or not..well, they are. But I guess for their prices I can get over it.

I Agree morgan38! I'm in college, and I can't afford the real thing. One day I will, but until then i have to settle for F21.

Their accessories store, For Love 21, is very cheap quality. I picked up a necklace and accidentally dropped it, it broke in 5 places, and it wasn't like I slammed it to the ground.

I do find it extremely wrong though that they create the knockoff before the original has hit the stores. Let the people who came up with it, show it off first.

Though I can't afford the designers, I applaud every single one of them that takes F21 to court

[Kaki]

I really have very little sympathy for people who buy F21 because they "can't afford anything else". Most of the people that I know who shop there DON'T have jobs, and DO splurge. I'm a full-time college student, and I work on the side. I can afford to buy expensive pieces ($200-300 dresses, for instance), because I save my money whenever I can - that includes buying groceries instead of eating out, cutting my own hair, and keeping away from cheaper stores such as GAP & F21 that might tempt me to spend even $30 on a cheap dress. Every bit adds up.

I'm a pure capitalist, but I just think F21 is thievery. What they're doing should be illegal, and I'm glad that people like DvF have been able to bring legal action against them.

[OhJane]

Originally Posted by morgan38

A lot of the stuff at Forever 21 is extremely trendy and probably not something you want to be wearing for years. So the fact that it's cheap is a huge appeal.

Also, some people, especially younger people (who tend to be F21's customers), will never have the money to justify buying expensive clothes, no matter how much they save. Believe it or not, for some people, buying even a few pieces at stores like F21 is a splurge.

I wasn't implying that someone should save up all their money for designer clothing, that's not practical! Personally though, I would rather buy one £30 top than several £6 ones from Primark. However it's all really just a matter of opinion eh?

[Bidwell]

Disco54 you will never see houses like YSL, Prada or Lanvin giving a f*** because in fashion , imitation is the highest form of flatter.

Au contraire:
YSL did in fact win a vast settlement against Ralph Lauren for having copied a halter dress. Chanel spends a fortune in Europe prosecuting black market goods that bear any resemblance to the C's, chains and quilting (and advertise the fact in newspapers).
Prada has also gone after manufacturers of fake piece goods for their bag components as well.
When one pays for a designer item it is not only for the inspiration but the research that has gone into the construction, print, technology and detailing.

[morgan38]

Originally Posted by OhJane

I wasn't implying that someone should save up all their money for designer clothing, that's not practical! Personally though, I would rather buy one £30 top than several £6 ones from Primark. However it's all really just a matter of opinion eh?

Some people can't afford a £30 top. I know it's hard for a lot people on this board to believe that, but it's true.

If I can I will save up to buy a nicer piece of clothing, I will. But sometimes money's tight, and it's not like I'm gonna risk not making rent so that I can buy a tank top.

A lot of F21's stuff is crap, but some of their more basic stuff is cute, not stolen from anyone, and of perfectly acceptable quality.

[OhJane]

I'm aware that some folk have financial difficulties, but a lot of people shop there that can afford to shop elsewhere. They only buy it because it's 'cheap fast fashion' - that I don't get. Why would you want to buy something that's 'trendy' for 5 minutes?

[nyc_art_style]

Originally Posted by morgan38

A lot of the stuff at Forever 21 is extremely trendy and probably not something you want to be wearing for years. So the fact that it's cheap is a huge appeal.

Also, some people, especially younger people (who tend to be F21's customers), will never have the money to justify buying expensive clothes, no matter how much they save. Believe it or not, for some people, buying even a few pieces at stores like F21 is a splurge.

And not that I'm really defending the quality of their clothes (because it's really not that great), but I bought a pretty basic black dress there about a year ago, and I've worn it about a thousand times and it's still in great shape.

In regards to whether they're stealing or not..well, they are. But I guess for their prices I can get over it.

well said. karma.

[TheKiwi]

That article was a great read for me because I had no idea about the background of the company or the owners... Very interesting.

I'll admit that I occasionally shop at Forever 21. The clothes are trendy and cheap. You can't expect the quality to be great since they are produced so quickly and cheaply, but I've never had something I bought from there fall apart on me!

For example, I have a cotton patterned dress I bought from there in Summer 2006 and it's still going strong. I have a cute little winter hat I bought this season and it's held up just fine (better than the gloves I bought at H&M this winter and fell apart after ONE WEAR!). I have a cream colored 3/4 sleeve length coat with large buttons that I bought in Spring 2007 and it's still looking good. I reinforced the buttons with extra string so they wouldn't pop off. I could name a handful of other items I have (including sunglasses, another dress, a thermal, etc) that I've had awhile too and have worn numerous times and are still in fine condition. I think it's important to pick good fabrics and really examine the items in store to make sure the quality is okay. You can usually tell if something is going to fall about after a few wears by looking at the quality in the store. There is a lot of crap in that store so you just have to be wise about what you're buying.