Just before Forever 21’s opening at SM Megamall on July 2, Jane Kingsu-Cheng, marketing manager of the Philippine store of the US fashion emporium, was preparing P200 gift vouchers to hand out to the first 250 customers. She knew that the queue outside the store was getting longer, (On Tweeter, messages described the line as “kilometric,” and like the “Great Wall of China”) but she was unprepared for what ensued when Forever 21 finally let customers in at 10am. “I heard girls running and shrieking towards the store,” she relates. “That gave me goosebumps!”
Throughout the day, it was bedlam inside the 2,800 square meter selling floor, as customers, mostly teen girls and young women, rifled through the vast assortment of inexpensively-priced flash fashions, picking clothes by the armful, like they had just discovered this thing called shopping. The counters, at any given time, were blitzkrieged with people ready to pay up, and the dressing rooms were beyond overflowing.
This, as they say, is Manila’s introduction to the frenzied consumer culture of “fashion for less,” (Forever 21’s credo), a lifestyle pattern popularized by behemoth fashion chains like Forever 21 and H&M, where dropping by for a fix of cheap clothes has become a daily routine for fans. Brought to Manila by the SM retail group, Forever 21 is just the first in a series of “category killer” international stores about to open in the Philippines. The US shoe store chain Payless, known for its bargain footwear, is set to open at least 10 stores in the country this year, brought to the Philippines by Store Specialists, Inc.
With T-shirts starting at less than P300, and couture-style dresses skimming just above P2,000, as well as a generous complement of cheap accessories and footwear, Forever 21 is poised to increase demand for flash fashions and raise the fashionista profile higher. The chain’s limited supply policy for each style—there are no repeat orders—encourages impulse buys, as consumers are conditioned to snap up items that may disappear fast on the racks. Clothes under the Forever 21 line, as well as special ranges Twelve By Twelve (cocktail chic and evening glam), Love 21 (targeted at older, sophisticated women), Heritage 1981 (basics, collegiate and vintage-inspired clothes) and 21 Men, cut across demographics, making the store a one-stop shop for inexpensive fashions.
“The acquisition of Forever 21 is part of SM’s new direction to give consumers more choices,” says Millie Dizon, SM vice-president for marketing communications. “In an increasingly global climate, consumers are learning to appreciate brands and the SM retail group would like to add more of these brands to its mix.”
The Philippine store, adds Forever 21 executive vice-president Larry Meyer, was prompted by a huge demand from local Forever 21 fans. “We brought Forever 21 here because we know that Filipinos in America like to shop in our store. We’ve always done extremely well in Southern California. We thought of bringing our brand—our fashion and prices —closer to Filipinos,” he says.
The choice of the SM retail group as the brand’s Philippine partner was logical, says Meyer. As the leading mall developer in the country and operator of the largest department store chain, SM is uniquely placed to address Forever 21’s needs. “By teaming up with SM we felt that we could work with them to get the right locations in the malls, and they could help give us local knowledge that we feel we need to operate in countries overseas.”
But with incredibly affordable pricing, good quality manufacturing and fashionista credibility, Forever 21 looms on the local fashion retail landscape as a game-changer, directly competing with a host of not only international flash-fashion brands, but with local fashion labels as well.
“Its entry is proving worrisome for a lot of retailers, everybody is thinking of restructuring,” says an official of a competing international band. “It will certainly be an exciting time for fashion retail.”
“Forever 21 in the market will add more dynamism to the fashion industry,” argues SM’s Dizon. “Designers and brands will become more competitive, there will be more art and creativity involved, with industry players asking themselves closely, ‘What does the consumer want?’ and ‘How do I find my niche?’ There will be a conscious effort (for designers and brands) to reinvent themselves.”
—JLF