Fashion is about self-expression. Forever 21 first opened in 1984 in California with a concept built around offering trending clothing for teens to young adults at lower price points, allowing those with less disposable income i.e., young adults and teens, a chance to express themselves with their clothing and accessories.
Roblox (RBLX) is a metaverse multi-platform gaming world, but it's not like the game systems Gen-X started with. This game is something of everyone’s world of imagination coming together to build their own SL or Second Life. Gamers can create avatars and build and design the game world. Other gamers can join in on other gamers worlds and play together, thus, creating a digital world and digital second life to the one we live and breathe in.
As a SL is becoming more and more popular, retailers have begun trying to figure out how to partake in the virtual world’s presence. Walmart launched a partnership with Roblox where gamers can shop for verch, or virtual merchandise, and the Walmart’s Universe of Play is free.
Roblox
Forever 21 Virtual Forces
Forever 21 has decided that it needs to play more in the metaverse as well. While Forever 21 isn’t equipped like Walmart is to be able to create its own meta platform gaming world, it is definitely still relevant in fashion. Gen Z has found that having a SL is valuable and wants to make sure that its SL can also express itself through fashion.
Forever 21 is offering a sort of SL fashion advent for the month of December. One new fashion item will launch each day in December and only be available for 24 hours. Being able to build demand for its fashion line and drive sales with the extremely limited time window to be able to purchase the verch during the holiday shopping season.
Forever 21 has deepened its partnership with Roblox, and in celebration of completing its first year in the metaverse, Forever 21 will bring Roblox the F21 Metaverse Collection available at the Forever 21 Shop City.
Forever 21 CEO, Winnie Park said, “Our initial goal with Forever 21 Shop City was to expand how we engage with our customers and make our products accessible to all. With the success of the virtual Forever Beanie in our Roblox store, we are thrilled to bring this beloved product and the entire F21 Metaverse Collection to life.”
Virtual Brand Group is involved in bringing companies into the metaverse. VBG’s CEO Justin W. Hochberg, said, “Since its launch on Roblox last year, Forever 21 has pushed boundaries, becoming the first and largest retailer to make on-trend virtual fashion accessible. Today’s launch showcases how Forever 21, in partnership with VBG, has created an entirely new way to innovate, design and retail fashion globally. Roblox is a phenomenal platform, and I can’t wait to reveal the next exciting experience that consumers can expect from Shop City.”
Company Rebuilding through Digital Clothing Lines
Roblox had well over 150 million monthly users during the pandemic. The Roblox multi-platform gaming world is exponentially growing, the gaming platform was the third highest-grossing game in 2020 at $2.29 billion. Shopping for verch may seem ridiculous to some, but the marketing use of the virtual clothing line allows the retailer to see what customers want to dress their avatars in to be able to help better understand what customers will buy for their real lives.
Forever 21 has suffered in past, with the fiercely competitive retail clothing market and was forced to downsize many stores. Forever 21 was completely closed out of some countries markets like the Netherlands, Thailand, Ireland, and Taiwan. Seeing the writing on the wall of a retail apocalypse, Forever 21 had to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019.
Forever 21 has since gained success in the retail market and virtual market. The experiment in the virtual market is paying off, and other retailers are doing the same. Nike brought its virtual presence to SL with .Swoosh, while Adidas has launched a SL collection. Ralph Lauren and Claire’s also have launched virtual retail within the Roblox platform.
Some big names in apparel are finding creative ways to be in the faces of young shoppers who while many of these shoppers can’t drive yet, they can shop the brands and find ways to express themselves in the comfort of their parents' home. Forever 21 is working on rebuilding not just its brand name to the next generation, but also by opening new locations across the U.S., from Rhode Island to California.
