FOREVER CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Another fast-fashion player is arriving on Fifth Avenue.
Forever 21 is opening a five-level, 36,000-square-foot store at 640 Fifth Avenue, which is between 51st and 52nd Streets, on Feb. 7. The Los Angeles-based chain joins a host of competitors nearby on Fifth including Topshop, H&M, Zara, Uniqlo and Joe Fresh, which all opened within the last few years.
Fifth Avenue’s destiny was set even earlier by Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister openings, among others.
But it’s really been a swirl of change on the avenue, as incoming luxury brands, such as Valentino and Polo, and fast-fashion flagships have pushed rents to record levels, stretched the shopping appeal south and fomented a dichotomy of clientele and commerce.
Forever 21’s attachment to Fifth is not surprising considering not long ago it temporarily occupied the former Takashimaya site on Fifth Avenue, which is now a posh flagship for Valentino. For the Forever 21 opening next month, there will be the ribbon cutting, a performance by pop singer Cody Simpson and gift cards will be handed out to the first 500 people in line to enter.