For Immediate Release: October 4, 2019

Contact: [email protected]

‘We Are Not Disposable’: Forever 21 Employees Speak Out With Support from UFR Leaders

 NATIONWIDE — Reacting to the news that Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy and plans to shutter the doors of 178 stores following disastrous expansion outside the U.S., former Forever 21 employee Chris Angelo issued the following statement:

 “Earlier this year, Forever 21 gave me and my coworkers less than two weeks notice before closing our store. Forever 21 treated me like I was disposable, and now it wants to do that to thousands of more people like me. It sickens me that corporate execs who ruin a company get to hide behind the bankruptcy process to protect their money. When my store closed, my mental health was affected and I was in constant worry about how I was going to pay my student loan debt, pay rent, pay bills, and any other expenses a normal person like me has. Hourly employees are not disposable. Forever 21 should provide support to the people whose jobs they are destroying so that we can get back on our feet.”

Forever 21’s closure of 178 stores will put many of its 30,000 employees out of work across the country. The company’s business model depended on paying extremely low wages and selling fast fashion goods that are widely noted for their detrimental impact on the environment.

 If you’re covering Forever 21 and are interested in speaking to an impacted employee, please email [email protected].