I went into Forever 21 today after avoiding the new location on Oxford Street for weeks. It was difficult to avoid, since thinking about the store takes me back to the good ol' days. I started shopping at the store around the age of 14, back when it was a dinky shop at the mall, filled with replica dresses and tops from similar stores. As a teenager and slightly into my twenties, I loved the store... Everything was cute and everything was cheap. I used to be able to get 4 shirts, 2 necklaces and a pair of pants for $50 dollars! It was amazing how low-priced their clothes and accessories were. There's no way a company can operate fairly with such cheap items. Today, I told myself I wouldn't buy a single thing, as shortly after returning from my semester in Canada a few years ago, I discovered their mistreatment of workers. I actively boycotted the shop for at least a year after watching the trailer for Made in LA, the story of three underpaid, overworked women employed in Forever 21's Los Angeles factory, and their fight for justice. While browsing for eco news today, I also discovered their unethical behavior stretches to the theft of designs from a sustainable label! It's ridiculous. It's even worse that with all of their scandals unveiled, they are still able to operate at the caliber in which they do. The Oxford Street location is massive in size, and the stores in my hometown have grown immensely in recent years. Us ladies hold very powerful pounds (and dollars!) and we need to start exercising our consumer power. I think I did quite well today!
If you haven't already seen it, check out the Made in LA trailer (you can get the DVD here):
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