Forever 21 Closing is the End of an Era

During one of my many scrolls on Instagram, I swiped to an article announcing Forever 21's closure. I can't say I was super surprised over Forever 21 closing, but it truly felt like the end of an era. Another solider lost to Shein and Amazon orders.

I hadn't shopped in Forever 21 in years. I'm pretty sure the last time I bought clothes from there was in 2021 when I snagged two shirts off the clearance rack for $1 each, which I actually still wear today.

Forever 21 was never exceptional quality, it’s always been fast fashion, but the clothing was definitely better quality back in the day. It’s shocking, but I have a few pieces, like the skirt below, that I got in high school, which I still wear today. Surprisingly, they’re not falling apart. It makes me sad to see how much the quality has diminished over the years. While inflation is bound to make prices higher than they were 10+ years ago, it’s unfortunate to see that with each price increase, the quality decreased.

Forever 21 Closing: How the Store Played a Role in My Teenage Life

Caitlin wearing a floral skirt from Forever 21.

Forever 21 skirt from high school.

The fast fashion retailer played a huge role in my teenage life. Forever 21 gave me the ability to discover my personal style and have fun with fashion throughout my teens.

Thanks to Forever 21, I could go to the mall with the paychecks from my high school job, which couldn’t have been more than $70, and buy Taylor Swift-inspired outfits, pieces that were giving the OG Red era, or the latest trend from Tumblr I wanted to try.

Thanks to Forever 21, I discovered that I love floral print and really like pastels.

Thanks to Forever 21, I became obsessed with hair accessories and grew a headband collection that includes just about every color of the rainbow.

Thanks to Forever 21, I realized I love dresses way more than pants and started accumulating way too many dresses.

Thanks to Forever 21, I dove headfirst into some slightly cringy trends *cough* colored skinny jeans *cough* that made me feel so cool. But you know, isn’t that what fashion’s all about anyway? Having fun with your clothes.

Thanks to Forever 21, I picked out the sparkliest, most sequin-covered shirt I could find for the Jonas Brothers concert in 2010. Fourteen-year-old me was convinced this would catch Nick Jonas’s attention….I’m sure to everyone’s surprise, it did not. 

Thanks to Forever 21, I experimented with fashion growing up. I tried out new styles, discovered my personal style, and somehow managed to always find a new item I could not wait to wear to school on Monday.

While my thoughts on fast fashion have changed over the years (this is a whole conversation for another time) I’m sad to see the store go.  My love for fashion truly grew because of the store. I’m incredibly happy for the role it played throughout my teens. I discovered you don’t need to break the bank to wear cute outfits and sometimes the most fun part of shopping was finding that really great deal.