Many times I feel like boycotting Forever 21 because so many of their trendy, mass produced clothes are simply copies from the collections of other, well-known designers. As I browsed through Forever 21's latest offerings online, I spotted a familiar looking top in a deep orange-red hue with contrasting cream ruffles and small gold buttons. A quick search through Bloomingdales and bingo--I was right! The top was last season's Marc by Marc Jacobs "Racquel" bib top, the original in madras red made with finer, ribbed fabric.
It's hard to boycott Forever 21 when you're faced with the $168 Marc Jacobs top and Forever 21's copy costs a mere $19.80. But Forever 21's practice of blatantly stealing another designer's idea, then selling it for 85% less, seems rather unfair. There was a time many years ago when I bought a pricey designer top, wore it happily, and months later spotted a cheap copy of it in Forever 21 stores. Even though the knock off was made from bad quality fabric and wasn't the exact color scheme, in all other respects it was the same and I was not happy about the duplication.
I have concluded that I cannot completely ban Forever 21 from my closet--you can't deny such a great source of cheap clothing! But I try hard to never knowingly buy a knock off of another designer's idea, and to limit my purchases to the simple basics Forever 21 produces so many of.
