Do+Won+Chang

Do Won Chang owner of Forever 21

 Do won Chang grew up in South Korea before moving to California at age 18 in 1981. When he first moved he worked 3 jobs as a janitor pumping gas and working in a coffee shop. He was only a high school graduate. He opened a little store in Highland Park, Los Angeles and it was called Fashion 21.They would sell trendy designs from Korea in their store. It started to get popular. By the end of the first year sales were reported to have risen from $35,000 to $700,000. They started to branch off and change the name to Forever 21. By 1997 Forever 21 had a total of 40 stores nationwide and it didn’t stop there. They currently have over 480 stores worldwide. Now he is worth 3.6 billion.

 Forever 21 is a chain of stores for men and women of all ages. It is affordable in style clothing. including tops, dresses, sweaters, outerwear, jeans, bottoms, active wear, and maternity wear; casual and dressy shoes; and accessories, including beauty items, jewelry, handbags, wallets, scarves, gloves, belts, hats, hair clips, sunglasses, leg wear, and gift items. Stores are located United States, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates and now the UK. What they do is they take the fashion trends that are in right now and sell them for less. It’s a good idea because why spend loads of money on a new shirt where you could get the same thing for ¼ of the price.

 "You can't go into business thinking that success will come to you in just one or two years," said Chang, who insists that a deep understanding of business and legal culture was the key to his success. “Retail,” he said, "it’s like a marathon, not a 100-meter dash."