A popular fast fashion retailer has been accused of cutting back on its range of plus-size clothing.
Forever 21, the go-to store for American teens for decades, recently deleted its plus-size social media account, leading some shoppers to question its commitment to offering a diverse range of clothing sizes.
The controversy went viral after popular fashion TikToker Remi Bader claimed that Forever 21 was pulling back its investment in the area.
Bader also revealed that the company had reneged on a planned partnership with her to produce plus-size models.
“Forever 21 deleted their plus size Instagram account, like it was gone, like it was gone,” Bader said in the video shared with her 2.3 million followers last week.
Forever 21 has been accused of reducing its investment in the plus-size market
“I also noticed on the plus size section of their website that they are now offering 70 percent off everything, and clearly, this means they are no longer making new plus size clothing,” the influencer explained.
Bader said she had been in talks with the fashion brand since November about a consulting contract to help improve the fit of its plus-size designs.
The influencer argued that the deletion of her account, the non-fulfillment of her contract and the fact that Forever 21’s plus-size sections have been put up for sale suggest that the brand is reducing its investment in that aspect of the market.
Bader’s video comes after another TikTok user named Samyra went viral last week after documenting her visit to five different Forever 21 stores in Los Angeles, California.
She expressed frustration that only one of them sold plus-size clothing: ‘If Forever 21 really cared about plus sizes, they would have them in stores.
‘Forever 21 is part of the reason why shopping at the mall isn’t fun when you’re plus size, because you can’t get any clothes.’
Her video struck a chord with many viewers, who flooded the comments section with similar experiences.
“They’re also removing the plus size section at my Forever 21,” one user wrote.
Forever 21 has denied that it is reducing its plus-size categories.
“Earlier this year, we combined all of our social accounts (men’s, kids’ and plus size) into one Forever 21 account,” the retailer wrote in a statement posted on Instagram.
“Our goal is to create an inclusive space where everyone feels at home, regardless of size, gender or race.”
The statement says they have “not eliminated plus sizes” and are offering them in more categories, such as lingerie, sleepwear and swimwear.
At its peak in 2015, Forever 21 was worth $6 billion, making its married South Korean founders Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang extremely wealthy.
Forever 21 denied the allegations in a lengthy statement posted on Instagram.
The company says it wants to create an inclusive space where everyone feels at home.
However, it was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 after a significant drop in sales.
It has since closed hundreds of stores across the country and in June asked its landlords to reduce rents on others.
Forever 21 did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
