Fast fashion brand Forever 21 will open its first Kansai store in Dotonbori, Osaka, on April 20th. A preview and reception party were held on the 19th prior to the opening.
Dotonbori is a bustling shopping district in Osaka's Minami district, lined with restaurants and souvenir shops, and it's rare for a fashion shop to open there. However, just across Ebisubashi Bridge, to the north, is the H&M Ebisubashi store, and further back, the Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Arcade stretches northward. Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Arcade is home to numerous global SPA outlets, including Bershka, Zara, GU, Uniqlo, and H&M. It's also known as a highly competitive area, with numerous fashion shops, including Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Research, Rosebud, Journal Standard, and Lowrys Farm.
The total sales floor space on the first through third floors is approximately 3300 sq. m. The building is part of Parco's "Zero Gate" commercial complex, and Forever 21 will lease the entire building. The first floor houses women's, men's, and accessories; the second floor houses women's, kids', and denim; and the third floor houses accessories, shoes, general merchandise, lingerie, and sportswear. The second floor houses "LOVE 21," a women's line targeted at older customers who have graduated from Forever 21. The Osaka Dotonbori store is the second largest in Japan after the Shibuya store, and is positioned as the Kansai flagship store, marking Forever 21's 13th store nationwide. At the reception party, Jatin Malhotra, director and head of global expansion for Forever 21, spoke of the brand's future aspirations, saying, "We've finally opened a store in Kansai. We hope to open multiple stores in the Kansai region in the future." He concluded his remarks by playing on the brand's name, "Forever," saying, "We hope our store will be loved for years to come, just like the brand name." On the opening day on the 20th, original T-shirts and cupcakes produced by the vocational schools Vantan Design Institute Osaka and L'Ecole Vantan Osaka will be distributed as novelties.
