How Forever 21 helped launch K-pop fashion in the U.S. before closing its stores
As Forever 21 prepares to permanently close its U.S. stores, it's being remembered by some for introducing American shoppers to K-pop fashion.
Throughout most of the 2010s, Forever 21 shoppers were often unknowingly wearing K-pop fashion along with their satin camis and cutout dresses.
Shoppers may have tossed into their iconic yellow plastic bags striped shirts and jackets inspired by the South Korean boy band ENHYPEN, clear handbags and backpacks — a mainstay at K-pop concerts — or beauty products from brands like COSRX.
Forever 21, the retail chain that was a destination store at many large American malls, is set to permanently close all its U.S. stores after filing for bankruptcy this month, its second in six years. And the fast-fashion behemoth is being remembered by some for the way it introduced American shoppers to K-pop fashion.
“Korean fashion is part of Forever 21’s DNA,” said Nicole Craig, a professor at Arizona State University’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising who worked as a senior buyer at the company in the mid-2010s.
The chain had swiftly capitalized on the stratospheric global rise of K-pop, which inspired playful giftables, beauty products and the company’s expansive graphic T-shirt business. And the store’s Korean fashion encompassed not only the style of the widely adored music groups people know today but also looks inspired by Korean popular culture in general — ranging from streetwear to cardigan sets.
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