Mall staple Forever 21 is opening another store in the Rochester area, this time at The Mall at Greece Ridge.
The new store is actually a concept store for the inexpensive fashion brand, called F21 RED. The store, which will be located near Regal Cinemas and State Street Wings in the mall, will be the first F21 RED in upstate New York to have over 12,000 square feet of retail space.
Forever 21 has another store in Eastview Mall in Victor, which it expanded just a couple of years ago in the space entertainment store FYE once occupied.
F21 RED will feature the same lines as the regular Forever 21, but it will have an even larger inventory than most of the brand’s stores carry. Included in the new space will be trends from the Forever 21, Forever 21 Men, Forever 21 Plus, and Forever 21 Girls lines.
Mall spokesperson Melanie Fazio spoke to the Democrat and Chronicle to explain the upcoming addition to the mall. She explained that the inventory will have a heavy focus on tops, denim, activewear, logo t-shirts, and other fashion basics, especially for teens and younger women.
The already low-cost lines will feature even more deals than shoppers might find in other Forever 21 stores, in fact, including jeans for under $8, tank tops for $5 or less, and camisoles costing as low as $2.
This fast fashion approach the brand takes — meaning making low-cost but also lower-quality clothing to sell for cheap — has made it a hit with the Millennial crowd.
The chain is well-known for its bargain prices and trendy styles, and the quality of its clothes doesn’t seem to be a deal-breaker. That could be due to the fact that Forever 21 customers know what to expect when they buy clothing from the store; a recent survey revealed that 60% of Millennial consumers expect consistency from the brands they shop, whether they interact with them in stores, online, or (probably rarely these days) by phone.
And Forever 21 is especially popular not just with Millennials but with fashion forward influencers — or “it girls,” as a survey from Goldman Sachs and Teen Vogue dubbed them.
Business Insider reports that the survey of these “it” girls between ages 13 and 29 ranked Forever 21 as number 8 on their list of favorite brands.
The brand also took the number 1 spot on the survey’s “Love List” — that is, the brand that the respondents had the most familiarity with and affinity for. Forever 21 was also the most talked-about brand, beating other faves like Urban Outfitters and H&M.
The cheap and chic look without the designer label prices are likely what has cemented Forever 21 as a mall favorite these days. And it goes without saying that those who keep up with seasonal trends appreciate prices as low as $10 or $20 — especially when they won’t be wearing that item the following year.
So far, the opening date for the Greece Ridge F21 RED store hasn’t been announced, but construction is currently underway.
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