1989 - Inditex Group introduces Zara to the U.S. retail market. The Zara store is the first of a wave of so-called fast-fashion retailers including Topshop, Forever 21, and H&M that will eventually transform consumer expectations for fashion apparel and accessories. Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing collections which are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year. These trends are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. Inditex Group is owned by Spanish tycoon Amancio Ortega, who also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterque, Stradivarius and Bershka.
2010 - Macy's makes a move into "fast fashion," with a new line, called Material Girl. Macy's is in venture with Iconix Brands Group Inc. (ICON), and collaborating with Madonna and daughter Lourdes on the Material Girl fast-fashion line.
2010 - J.C. Penney Co. creates in-store concept called MNG by Mango, in venture with fast-fashion retailer Mango MNG Holding SL (Barcelona, Spain). Mango is one of the hottest retailers in Europe where it operates hundreds of stores and its ads feature celebrities including Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson. The exclusive-to-Penney MNG by Mango brand launches initially at 77 stores.
2010 - The Sears department store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa (California), one of the top-performing shopping centers in the U.S., provides 3,700 square meters of its own store space to Forever 21, making the latter effectively a shopping center co-anchor within the same store. At the same time, in Tokyo's Ginza district, the Matsuzakaya department store leases parts of the first five of its floors to Forever 21, a combined space totaling about 4,000 square meters.
2010 - Von Maur department stores create a 4,200-square-foot fast-fashion concept store called Dry Goods, to open at Fox Valley Mall in Aurora (Illinois). The 138-year-old merchant known for its "white-glove service" says the Dry Goods store will carry a constant flow of trendy clothing and accessories but in a decor that evokes a vintage 19th century theme that is symbolic of Von Maur's early days as a dry goods store in Iowa.
2010 - Designer Brian Lichtenberg and fast-fashion retailer Forever 21, both L.A.-based brands, collaborate to create a T-shirt line featuring Lichtenberg's '80s-inspired hipster aesthetic.
