The $4 Billion Fashion Empire Destroyed By Its Own Family: Forever 21

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Forever 21 - the world-famous clothing brand - was built by Korean immigrants Do Won and Jin Sook Chang from $11,000 into a $5.9 billion fast-fashion empire with 800 stores across 48 countries, then lost it through refused outside governance, disastrous international expansion losing $100 million annually, and 354 U.S. store liquidation in 106 days by 2025. ------------------- Gain FREE access to secret full-length episodes on wealthy families "too scandalous for YouTube" by joining our newsletter: https://www.substack.com/@oldmoneyluxury ------------------- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:04 Chapter One: The Yellow Shopping Bags 4:49 Chapter Two: The Garment District Dream 8:01 Chapter Three: The Empire Rises 11:28 Chapter Four: The Cracks Appear 15:09 Chapter Five: The Unraveling 18:52 Chapter Six: One Hundred Six Days ------------------- Do Won Chang was born March 20, 1954 in South Korea during one of the nation's most turbulent periods just months after the Korean War ended, running a coffee delivery business as a child in Seoul's Myungdong district. In 1981 Do Won and Jin Sook landed at Los Angeles International Airport with $11,000 in savings, limited English proficiency, and no college degrees after securing green cards through a brief Hawaii layover. Do Won worked three simultaneous jobs laboring 19 hours per day at $3 per hour—washing dishes at a café, eight-hour gas station shifts, and cleaning offices at night while Jin Sook worked as a hairdresser. On April 16, 1984 the Changs invested their entire nest egg to open Fashion 21 at 5637 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park, a modest 900-square-foot space generating $700,000 first-year revenue. The 1987 rebranding from Fashion 21 to Forever 21 marked a crucial pivot based on Do Won's philosophy that old people want to be 21 again and young people want to be 21 forever. The 2005 acquisition of Gadzooks for $33 million instantly doubled the store count to 400, with Do Won developing a signature real estate strategy acquiring anchor tenant spaces vacated by bankrupt department stores. The Times Square location spanned 90,000 square feet across four stories with 151 fitting rooms, while Las Vegas reached 127,000 square feet and the largest location ever built stretched to 162,000 square feet. Store count reached 794 across 48 countries by 2015 with 43,000 employees and annual revenue peaking at $4.4 billion, making the Chang family fortune $5.9 billion and ranking them number 119 on the Forbes 400. Forever 21 faced over 50 copyright infringement lawsuits between 2007 and 2019 with Diane von Furstenberg, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. brand, Trovata, Anna Sui, and Anthropologie all filing claims over copied designs. International operations lost an average of $100 million annually between 2014 and 2018, with stores in Canada, Europe, and Asia collectively bleeding $10 million per month by 2018-2019. E-commerce generated only 16% of Forever 21's sales in 2018 compared to industry leaders commanding 30-40%, and supply chain took 20 weeks from concept to store delivery compared to H&M's seven weeks. McKinsey was hired in 2015 and Forever 21 implemented 15% of the recommendations, Bain recommended halting European expansion in 2014 but Forever 21 opened 23 new European stores over the following two years. On September 30, 2019 the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy citing $1.58 billion in debt and announcing plans to close stores in 40 countries. In February 2020 a consortium of Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group, and Brookfield Property Partners acquired Forever 21's operating company for $81 million—a 98.2% discount from the $4.4 billion implied peak valuation. Store closing sales commenced February 14, 2025 with official bankruptcy filing March 16, and all 354 U.S. stores closed by April 30—ahead of the originally projected May 1 deadline. The Chang family fortune evaporated from $5.9 billion in 2015 to $500-800 million by 2025—primarily their Beverly Hills mansion purchased March 28, 2008 for $7.5 million.