Founder of apparel brand Forever 21 to be honored for economic leadership in L.A. County
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Los Angeles —The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) today announced Do Won Chang, the founder of Forever 21, one of the world’s fastest growing fashion brands, as its individual Eddy® Awards honoree. Inaugurated in 1996, the annual Eddy Awards gala has become the most important economic development award program in the state of California. This year’s 15th anniversary event will be held on Wednesday, November 10th, at the Beverly Hilton.
Headquartered in the City of Los Angeles, Forever 21 began in 1984 and has since become synonymous with trendy, affordable fashions. Do Won Chang and his wife Jin Sook Chang emigrated from South Korea in 1981 in search of the American Dream, and began their fashion empire with their first store in Highland Park. Since then, Forever 21 has grown to 457 stores in 15 countries with sales of nearly $3.0 billion annually.
In Los Angeles County, Forever 21 operates dozens of stores throughout the region’s malls and shopping centers, employing more than 3,000 people and thousands more through their supply network. Taking advantage of the wealth of talent in Los Angeles County’s nation-leading creative industry, Forever 21’s apparel and merchandise is designed in L.A. County, with a large percentage of their products also being manufactured here. Their vertically integrated model allows them to design, manufacture and distribute merchandise faster than their competitors, an important factor of Forever 21’s success. For the full story and more about the Eddy Awards visit: http://bit.ly/cpuTS6
