As a millennial adult who was once a bratty teenager, I have not-so-fond memories of being a heinous little bitch to my long-suffering mother in a variety of now-closed retailers, from Party City to Bed Bath and Beyond. That said, I never thought Forever 21—that dogged bastion of brightly colored, somewhat shoddily constructed, and definitely non-biodegradable cargo pants, “going-out tops,” and other Y2K ephemera—would join the list of stores we’ve loved and lost over the years. Sadly, though, that does seem to be the case, with the fast fashion chain filing for bankruptcy this week for the second time in six years.
As Forever 21 begins “winding down its U.S. business while searching for a potential buyer for all of its remaining assets” (which…are said assets just a pile of discounted belly chains?), I can’t help feeling a little emo about its demise. Where are the teenagers of today supposed to spend their allowance and/or wander around aimlessly eating Auntie Anne’s pretzels and getting yelled at by sales associates for coming perilously close to getting mustard on the merchandise? But then again, do I actually want Forever 21 and its fast-fashion peers to keep peddling the same semi-trendy dupes destined to end up in landfills and grow the fashion industry’s climate footprint? Not necessarily.
Still, I feel weirdly nostalgic about the time I spent trying on age-inappropriate tube tops with my friends and screaming at my mom at Forever 21. So, in honor of that time—and all the fashion-related mixed blessings—that the chain gave us, here are five more Vogue staffers’ fondest memories from their Forever 21-frequenting years:
“When Forever 21 introduced men’s pieces in my college years, they fast became my go-to for going-out tops. I remember buying a black sheer button-up that I wore practically every Friday night. I wore it to the ground; it disintegrated after about a month.” —Christian Allaire, senior fashion & style writer
“While I can’t recall a specific piece of clothing I bought at Forever 21, I did learn something important from shopping there. One day, I wanted to grab an item that was far out of reach. An employee presented me with a hook that looked like something stolen from Little Bo-Peep, but no—the long wooden pole with a metal hook on the end was used to fetch hangers high up on a wall. I was amazed by the prop that instantly made every item in the store reachable. A decade later, living in an apartment with no closet space, I remembered the Forever 21 hook… and I’m now the proud owner of one to help me reach the tippy-top of my hanging racks.” —Margaux Anbouba, senior beauty & wellness editor
