Forever 21 has named Winnie Park as CEO, effective immediately. She joins from Paper Source, where she served as CEO for six years and helped transform the retailer from a brick-and-mortar-focused company into a lifestyle brand with a digital platform spanning social media, digital content, online subscriptions and affiliate partnerships. Park also oversaw its sale to an affiliate of Barnes & Noble. She will report to Marc Miller, CEO of SPARC.
Prior to Paper Source, Park’s roles including a nine-year tenure at Hong Kong-based DFS, a division of LVMH, where she launched the company’s first global ecommerce site for fashion, beauty, accessories and spirits, serving China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. She also has lead Women’s Merchandising for Dockers at Levi Strauss and worked as a consultant for fashion retail and consumer digital at McKinsey & Co.
“We are thrilled to have Winnie join the Forever 21 team,” said Miller in a statement. “She is an inspirational leader and team builder who brings deep omnichannel experience and a track record of successfully growing businesses, with particular strengths in strategy, merchandising, marketing and branding. As CEO, Winnie will add fresh perspective and approaches in connecting with the Forever 21 customer, which will help drive Forever 21 from its current $2 billion sales level to new heights of success as a leading brand in SPARC’s Fashion and Lifestyle brand portfolio.”
“As a longtime shopper and admirer of the brand, I am honored to join Forever 21 at such a pivotal time of reinvention and reinvigoration,” said Park in a statement. “I am looking forward to partnering with this exceptional leadership team to continue the transformation of this brand, with a focus on the Forever 21 community including its people, purpose and business priorities across digital and traditional retail channels.”
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Park will oversee Forever 21 as the company works with its fellow SPARC brands, including JCPenney and Juicy Couture, to improve their collective fortunes. This already has included collaborations between complementary retailers, such as JCPenney stocking Forever 21 products in its stores. SPARC itself is a joint venture between mall owner Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands Group, which filed for an IPO in July 2021.
