The first time I walked into a Forever 21, I was 13. I was at a mall in West Palm Beach, FL, celebrating the birthday of my best friend at the time. Forever 21 wasn’t filled with the glittery pastels of Limited Too; the clothes were trendy, and I could afford to buy them with the money my mom had given me. I bought a pair of flare cut jeans with brown floral embroidery on the sides. If I’m being honest, I didn’t love the way they fit, but I loved what those jeans represented: it was one of the first clothing purchases I remember making for myself.
Forever 21 would become my favorite store for at least the next decade. Every college party, first date, girls trip, almost any event in my life I knew that I would find what I needed at Forever 21. I spent hours at the locations in Union Square and Times Square ; hours spent shopping and talking with my best friends. At times we bought the same item of clothing with the promise that we wouldn’t wear them at the same time. I remember buying a cobalt blue maxi dress with a ladder design in the back. It fit me like a glove, and I wore it to what was supposed to be a first date, until he canceled on me.
This story and similar stories fill my twenties. Not all memories are good memories, but I looked good in many of them thanks for Forever 21. As I got older, I struggled with supporting fast fashion while also understanding that I didn’t have the money to buy clothes elsewhere. I graduated from college and moved back to New York City and started looking for a full-time job. As my life began to be filled with more responsibility, my style changed. I still visited Forever 21, but it was no longer a sure thing that I would find what I was looking for.
Last week, Forever 21 announced that they are filing for bankruptcy and closing all their US stores. At once, I was filled with sadness not for the clothes, but for what Forever 21 represented. It was the last holdout from that period of clothing stores, outlasting Charlotte Russe, Delia’s, and Wet Seal. Forever 21 felt like the last store that was made for teenagers. A space that felt safe from the shelter of our parents. A space that allowed us to grow into the people that we wanted to become. We could argue that they over expanded or that they didn’t take the opportunity to rebrand to a new generation, following other brands like American Eagle. Maybe the truth is just that times change, and consumers have changed.
But as times continue changing, I do worry that we are losing spaces for teenagers to be teenagers. We don’t have arcades or places where teens can begin to explore their own independence with their peers. Spaces that are safe for them. Not stores where adults are shopping such as Zara or Sephora, but stores dedicated to them. That in between phase of life where you not yet an adult, but you are also not the same child you once were. You have an opinion on how you want the world to see you. Forever 21 gave me that space.
` Losing Forever 21 feels like the end of an era. The closing of that chapter in my life. The truth is I haven’t bought anything from Forever 21 in at least 5 years. I have outgrown it. Maybe that’s what I’m truly sad about. I am no longer that teenager discovering who they are for the first time. Maybe I miss spending hours shopping with my friends now that we’re older with jobs and families of our own, that carefree twenty something year old woman is gone. Replaced by the 35-year-old woman that I am today. I would never have bought those jeans today and my favorite blue maxi dress would fit differently, but the memories will last a lifetime. RIP to Forever 21, I’m happy I got to know you.