What is moral shopping? A look at Forever 21

I used to shop there in ’00 and ’01, but not anymore. The quality of the clothes is bad and wasteful b/c they end up fulling apart…. also the things you posted above have made me not like them even more. Their buyers come into the vintage store I work at (once a week) and I am freaked out they will knock off my jewelry designs that I sell there!!! It freaks me out. I am a one woman show, who works her butt off… and if I see a knockoff of my jewelry I will scream!!!

I have some friends that only swear by
1. buying second hand or
2. buying from companies that are cited to have ethical practices like American Apparel.

I am not definitely a moral shopper. If I really knew where my clothes came from, I am not sure if I would buy it.

I also feel conflicted when buying from stores like f21 but its really the only ones I can afford

shwoo…this is tough. I wish I could say I was a moral shopper, but when you’re on a hardcore budget, it’s hard. and while i’m strongly against knockoffs like faux louis vuittons and whatnot…I guess I really eat up stores like forever21.

not to say i live off them, though, certainly. I’m a vintage/thrift girl through and through. most of my wardrobe is probably worth thousands, but I work my butt off to make the whole lot worth about a hundred…so I suppose in the end, I don’t really give the companies like f21 the money they deserve, since I never spend more than, say, ten bucks!

I agree with boredstephanie and chicchica_bonita. I try to buy secondhand/vintage (ahem, Goodwill, ahem) but for jewelry I usually end up at F21 for the simple reason that I’m not quite old enough to have a job. Sigh. Please end, age fourteen.

i appreciate that i can afford things but some of their stuff just falls apart. i think fashion is meant to be observed and imitated but i guess not to the extent that they’ve done so. either way, people who can’t afford designer won’t save up just to splurge on one piece anyway.

I used to love their clothes but i am not so crazy bout them anymore now. And after reading whay you posted, I dont feel like going into their stores now.

I try my best to shop morally. Currently, I only buy from second hand shops and from ethical and moral companies that i research before I purchase. No child labour, sustainable supplies used in productions, fair wages and workers rights etc….

Forever 21 has had a number of lawsuits against them (you listed a few that are good examples) as well as the owner promoting her christian faith through her packaging, which I personally find a bit offensive. I don’t purchase clothing to be inundated with propaganda about the religious affiliation of the company.

Of course that is my personal opinion.

My idea of moral shopping is buying clothing that is either secondhand or sustainable and fair trade through some other means (AA doesn’t count in my book because of the pig who owns the company).

Forever21 doesn’t try to pass off its knock-off designs as its own (it’s not like it’s a secret that they churn out copycat designs), and as someone already said, people who shop there do it because they can’t afford designer items- taking the knock-offs away will not bring more money to the original designers. The designers are within their rights to sue for copyright infringement (which actually WILL bring in money), but at the end of the day I see this as a LEGAL issue rather than a MORAL one. The clothes are so cheap because they exploit cheap labor is Asia and to me that is the real moral issue, although I admit that I do get some of my clothes from there anyway. To me the whole copying issue is almost like how a grocery store will sell the same food with their own brand name on it for cheaper. Obviously the issue is a lot more complex than that, but you know what I mean.

honestly the idea of complete and total original design is rather silly. designers, writers, artists, etc subconscious take from others all the time. its how consumers get a diverse product line. do I think there is anything wrong with them reproducing something….no….it boils down to who can advertise the idea better. that’s the real world, ladies. immoral? possibly. will it ever change? Nope. people are still going to shop at those stores because it is convenient.

I no longer shop at Forever21, not because they knock off designs, but because of questionable labor practices. I’m trying to buy mostly vintage and second-hand right now, because I think it’s the most environmentally and ethically sensible thing to do.

I work there and I absolutely live it! They have done of the cutest things

I really couldn’t care at all if they knock off designs—but unfair labor practices, that’s something to be upset about. at the same time, though, I feel like most major companies have their fair share of labor practice issues. Gap, which is much more expensive and less stylish, but has that “all-american company” feel, used CHILD sweatshops. that’s pretty messed up, and they don’t even have the cheap, bad image that F21 does.
It’s almost unavoidable unless you’re willing to spend hundreds on clothes—as a college student on a budget, this is just not feasible. I hate to be jaded about these things, but I doubt I would like any organic 100% hemp, reduced-carbon-footprint, U.S.-made clothes because chances are I wouldn’t like the clothes. I’ve tried vintage and second-hand clothes, but I can’t find any that I like at all. places like buffalo exchange are cool, but if they have F21 and Gap clothes, then what’s the difference? the fact that someone decided to sell it so the second-hand store can resell it? I donate all my old clothes, so I’m not the person who would toss them anyway.

I used to shop at F21 all the time a few years back. Most of their things hold up for me with delicate handling. I don’t shop there any more for a variety of reasons. Morally, I cannot abide by their labor practices (which means I hardly buy anything new anywhere). I also don’t support appalling cultural appropriation and F21 is a big at appropriating.

Moral shopping can be done, though you have to realize that capitalism wins no matter how you purchase material items. Fair trade clothing is a nice idea (there are a whole host of producers now online and the clothing can be pretty nice). Finding fabrics that are made locally (or aren’t made in unfair labor conditions) and making your own is another. Of course if you’re on a budget, a lot of this can be pricey. second-hand is the easiest solution, really.

i try my hardest to stray away but i work around a college student budget so there are times taht i do purchase from f21. im really picky though so its very rare.

I’m going to repeat what everyone else said. I think the best way to shop morally if on a budget is through second hand. I personally love Goodwill. I can think of several instances where I have desperately looked for something on line and in stores and been unable to find them in a price I wanted, only to walk into goodwill a few days later and stumble upon it within minutes.
Something that hasn’t been said is small boutiques. I live in a city with lots of entrepreneurial boutiques that are locally owned, run, and made and (even though they do sometimes run expensive) it’s a good way to know where you’re money is going because it’s staying in the community.

I used to shop there a couple years ago, but there are multiple reasons why i don’t anymore
1.) Tacky. Like sometimes i will buy a cardigan or ttank top, but everything else is pretty ugly
2.) Quality is crap. I bought a tank once, and in one wash, it got a hole in the middle of the chest area
3.) In my area, they just opened one up, meaning all the trashy people i know now shop there, and i don’t want to be known as trashy…heh heh ?
4.) I don’t like wearing the same cothes as other people. VINTAGE SHOPPING ALL THE WAYYYY!!!

i dont shop at forever21 much there quality is really bad, except for jewelry and stuff i think it’s fine.