Forever 21 , rewritten as DURING 21 , is an American fast-mode retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Forever 21 started as a store called Fashion 21 with 900 square feet (84 m 2 ) at Highland Park, Los Angeles, California in 1984, and has grown into a clothing line Forever 21, XXI Forever, Love 21, and Pusaka in more than 600 stores in America, Asia, Middle East, and England.
Forever 21 is known for its trendy and inexpensive offerings. More than 60% of the clothes are made in China and the average store size is 38,000 square feet (3,500 m 2 ). The company sells accessories, beauty products, household goods, and clothing for women, men, and girls. The company has been involved in various controversies, ranging from labor practices to allegations of copyright infringement against religion. The clothes are sold to all ages, from toddlers to adults.
Video Forever 21
History
Originally known as Fashion 21, the Forever 21 (Fashion 21) store was first established in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 1984 by husband and wife, Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang of Korea. The store is located at 5637 N. Figueroa Street in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles and still operates, with the chain's original name. Designs similar to those seen in South Korea are sold and targeted to the Korean American community of Los Angeles. In its first year of operation, sales reached $ 700,000, and by 2013, there were over 480 stores and revenues of $ 3.7 billion. And in February 2014, Forever 21 generated revenues of $ 3.8 billion. Initially, Forever 21 only sells clothes for women, but later expanded to sell men's clothing. Most Forever 21 stores now sell clothes for men and women, including plus size clothing for women. On their website, they also sell girls clothes and home/lifestyle products.
Maps Forever 21
Controversy
Employee relationship and safety
- In September 2001, the American Center for Asia Pacific Law and the Garment Workers 'Center, workers' advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against Forever 21, demanding they violate labor laws. They claim that 19 contract employees receive less than the minimum wage, that hours on time cards are reduced, that workers who complain to the state are fired, and that employees face a sweatshop like working conditions. Forever 21 denounced the allegations, affirming its commitment to fair labor practices and that "none of the workers mentioned in the lawsuit were employed directly by the company." The Forever 21 three-year boycott was held all over the United States by garment workers and the movement was captured in the Emmy Award-winning documentary film, Made in LA Although the charge was dismissed by the US District Court. Judge Manuel Real, Forever 21 responded with a defamation suit in 2002. Lawyer Robin D. Dal Soglio insisted that both Forever 21's reputation and sales were influenced by allegations and protests. On the other hand, Kimi Lee, director of one of the advocacy groups representing the workers, stated that lawsuits are justified because of complaints from 20 workers. Both cases ended in settlement in December 2004.
- Five Forever 21 employees filed a class action lawsuit in January 2012, stating that they were not compensated for the time they worked during the lunch break and the time spent on bag checks.
- After the Department of Labor found that some of Forever 21 suppliers had violated various federal laws regarding wages and record keeping, a subpoena was ordered in August 2012. US District Court Judge Margaret Morrow ordered Forever 21 compliance after the retailer failed to deliver the documents. Retailers claim that they are trying to meet with the Department of Labor and that it has provided the requested information.
In July 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Department of Labor (OSHA) has recommended a fine of over $ 100,000 for three different retail locations in Northern New Jersey and Manhattan in New York City for "serious safety dangers," where they have quoted since 2010.
Copyright controversy
- According to Forbes , 50 lawsuits of copyright infringement have been placed against Forever 21. Diane von FÃÆ'¼rstenberg requires retailers to insist that she copied four of her clothes. Gwen Stefani, Anna Sui, and Trovata are among the designers who have also taken action against retailers. During the Trovata case in May 2009, the jury agreed with Trovata; both sides reach a settlement.
- Critics like Susan Scafidi, a professor of copyright law at Fordham University, questioned the design process of Forever 21 and argued that it replicates the design of others. Vice President of Forever 21, Lisa Boisset, cited in 2007 said Forever 21 works with merchant designers rather than designers, but will not make the merchant willing to comment. Chang's CEO stated that some of their merchants had disappointed him. Forever 21 has never been found guilty and most cases have been settled through settlements.
- On January 8, 2015, Canadian media reported on a family-owned business in Richmond, British Columbia, Granted Clothing, whose designers learned that their sweater designs had been stolen and mass-produced for sale on the Forever 21 website. In April 2015, both sides have resolved the issue with "friendly terms", settled out of court.
- On January 28, 2015, Adobe, Autodesk, and Corel software developers filed a joint lawsuit against Forever 21 for allegedly using unlicensed copies of Photoshop, AutoCAD, and PaintShop Pro.
Number of stores
All shops are owned by the company, except from the Middle East and the Philippines where the company operates as a 50% joint venture with local partners.
Other controversies
- The Forever 21 outfit has been criticized in the media for slogans printed on some of their shirts. The Huffington Post, and others insist that the company "... pushes the Christian agenda" for selling bosses with phrases like "Holy," "Love, peace, faith, hope, Jesus, "and" Thank God. " Similarly, Forever 21 has received attention in the media for printing a Bible verse "John 3:16" at the bottom of their distinctive yellow purse. Corporations argue that it is not influenced by the religion of its founder, who was born again Christians. In addition, ABC News, many users at Reddit, and others condemned Forever 21 for "Allergy to Algebra" t-shirts in 2011. They claimed that the shirt had an anti-education and sexist theme, but Ellie Krupnick, a writer for The Huffington Post, question this. Krupnick claimed that his superiors made statements about mathematics, rather than sexist comments, and announced that he would wear the shirt.
- In April 2010, Rachel Kane, a writer and customer of Forever 21 created a blog with the domain name WTForever21.com. Kane posted a picture of some 21 Forever items and voiced his opinion on the outfit. The blog's popularity increased after it was shown on Jezebel's blog and in June 2011, the retailer asked the blogger to drop the site or he might face a lawsuit.
- The Center for Environmental Health found that Forever 21 and 25 retailers and other suppliers sell jewelry that includes toxic metal cadmium. Payments of $ 1.03 million and a 0.03% limit on cadmium in jewelry are part of the settlement that occurred in 2011.
- Lawyer Carolyn Kellman filed a class action lawsuit against Forever 21 in September 2012 after she received a few pennies when she returned some items. Customers who received a few pennies or billed one more joined the case. According to The Huffington Post , this penny was added as "The threshold for civil action in his palace district is $ 15,000 - which means he must find enough people to join the case so he can name 1.5 million in damages (750,000 subscribers since 2007.) "
References
External links
- Official Site
- Fashion Faster, Cheaper Chic - New York Times, May 10, 2007
- Fast, Cheap and Under Control: Wholesale economic rise Forever 21 and Downtown - New Angeles Monthly, December 2007
- Forever 21 favors 2 Mag Mile stores - Chicago Tribune, April 19, 2008
- Fast-mode fuel concept Expansion Forever 21 - Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2008
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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