Six former employees, including three executives, also spoke to The New York Times about their experiences at Forever 21 on the condition of anonymity, citing nondisclosure agreements. Forever 21’s missteps, combined with industrywide changes in consumer tastes and shopping habits, will have far-reaching effects for thousands of people who work for the company, its vendors and malls. Through a spokeswoman, the Chang family declined to comment for this article. Forever 21 — named because Mr. Chang considered 21 to be “the most enviable age” — was built on the idea of identifying apparel trends, then working with vendors to bring those products to stores quickly at cut-rate prices. From its early days, Mr. Chang, who is still the company’s chief executive, oversaw landlord and vendor relationships while Mrs. Chang led design and merchandising.

Source: International New York Times October 23, 2019 19:18 UTC