Forever 21 to expand global reach in new deal with Shein

Authentic Brands Group has signed a long-term agreement for its Forever 21 banner with Singapore-based Shein.

Under the terms of the deal, the global online retailer of value-priced fashions will design, manufacture and distribute a line of Forever 21  apparel and accessories for men and women. The categories will include sportswear, activewear and swimwear and others.

Items from the collection, dubbed Forever 21 x Shein, will be available for sale online exclusively on Shein sites in the U.S. and parts of Europe and Australia. The Shein platform has approximately 154 million users.

The partnership comes after Shein, in August, acquired an approximate one-third interest in SPARC Group, a joint venture between Authentic and Simon Property Group. (SPARC is the core operating partner of Forever 21 in the U.S.)  At the same time, SPARC became a minority shareholder in Shein. As part of the deal between the two companies, Shein has the opportunity to test customer-focused experiences in Forever 21 U.S. locations, including shop-in-shops.

 "Shein’s innovative approach to engaging with consumers gives them the ability to deliver trends at speed,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic. “With an evolving retail landscape, where digital interaction has become the cornerstone of e-commerce, Shein has led the way in redefining how brands connect with consumers.” Salter added that the new collaboration with Shein “perfectly fits into “our distribution strategy for the brand's new key markets."

"We're thrilled to bring the renowned Forever 21 brand to Shein customers using our manufacturing capabilities and online store," said Donald Tang, executive chairman at Shein "Forever 21 and Shein share a mission to deliver products that our customers love at an incredible value. This exciting new aspect of our partnership with Authentic furthers our goal of making fashion accessible to all and we look forward to bringing this to life for our customers."

Earlier this month, Shein hosted its first pop-up in a Forever 21 store, at Ontario Mills, Ontario, Calif. More than 7,000 shoppers passing through the space, which was open for four days.

Headquartered in New York City, the brands in Authentic Brands Group’s portfolio generate more than $29 billion in global annual retail sales and have an expansive retail footprint in 150 countries, including 13,100-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops and 370,000 points of sale.

Authentic's brand portfolio Reebok, Brooks Brothers, Ted Baker, Hunter, Vince, Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Aéropostale, Forever 21, Eddie Bauer and many more.  

Headquartered in Singapore, Shein offers Shein-branded, affordable apparel and accessories from a global network of vendors.