I Shopped At Forgotten Fashion Stores...

Zoomies, Aeropostale, Forever 21. These are all stores I remember growing up with and they had so much influence on culture. Chunky skate sneakers, big logo tees, and affordable basics. However, these stores are quickly being forgotten. And why is that? So I made a list of these type of stores and we'll be going to each one to answer a few questions. How did they fall off? How bad did they fall off? And should they come back? And our first store, Aeropostale. Back in middle school, this was the brand to wear. You'd see things like zipper hoodies, just the logo all over the place, sort of having that West Coast, California vibe. Now at its peak, it was at 739 stores. Now they're down to 473. That's almost half of their stores. And that's because they went bankrupt in 2016. And what's interesting is it was partly due to a dispute with a supplier of theirs, along with competition and the fallout of the logo tee. But before we go inside to really judge the store, we have to do some shopping. So let's make this interesting. You see, I have this roulette wheel and we're going to buy an item from each store based on what we land on. And at the end, I'm going to take my girl out on a surprise date with the outfits and see what she thinks. Now for Aeropostale, let's see what we get. And it's a mid-layer. Let's see what we can find. There's actually some really cool items here. Like I'm seeing some double knee shorts, camo double knee shorts, nice graphic tees. They also got their old school tees. Got some nice track suits, cargo pants, sweatpants, some nice simple camp colors. Not too bad. This looks cropped as well. Dude, this is dope. It's like a Bronco jersey. And to be honest, I'm surprised that they have some champion stuff here because that's a completely different brand. Usually you would think it'd be all in-house. These pieces are sick. It's all Formula One stuff. We got a Formula One racer jacket. Feels pretty decent. Got some jorts. Nice looking jorts. Mid-layer is what we're trying to find. I say this ain't bad. And these jorts are also really distinct. You can tell that they're really trying. These are like the old school polos. This is the difference. This is what they were known for. This is what they're doing now. It's kind of crazy. So I think of this. This was like, if you wore this in middle school, you were that dude. So all in all, I was impressed. Aeropostale has some pretty decent stuff. And I ended up going with the Formula One jersey for our mid-layer. There was a lot of cool pieces in there. I was actually surprised. I was drawn in by the Formula One, which is what I think is part of their strategy to reach new viewers. But they're still not on the level of Abercrombie and American Eagle just yet. So do I think they should make a Next store we got Express. Now at its peak, they had about 700 stores. Now they're down to about 391. So that's almost half of their stores gone. They filed for bankruptcy in 2024. And in the past two years, they've closed over 100 stores. Express is really known for their slim fit, more dapper look, which is definitely more 2008 to 2016 era where everything was more slim fit, dapper. But in recent times, because of the more looser fit, more relaxed fit, it's definitely hurt Express a lot. And I do go to Express sometimes if I need a nice button-up. Still a store that I actually don't mind, but it's not looking good so far. And the roulette wheel for Express. Let's see what we get. Please no pants, please no pants, please no pants, no pants, no pants. Oh, we got pants. So yeah, I'm really not excited about what we landed on, but let's see what Express has overall and what we can find for our bottoms. This crochet cam collar shirt is actually quite nice. This one right here, cool texture. Got polos, more crochet, cam collar shirts, chinos and whatnot. We got pants. I don't know how we can make this work, but we got slim fit chinos over here. Skinny, skinny. They don't have to be baggy, but I'm looking for like straight cut. If there is some looser fitting pants, it's in the back. That's where they have their jeans. Okay, Express. We got some straight cut pants here. It's doable, it's doable. Yo, so these are like jeggies. They just feel like trash. I don't know anybody that would buy these. Who's buying this stuff? So I did some more browsing around and straight cut was the only interesting cut that they had. And I tried them on. Let's just say that's cap. We're going to have to roll with this straight cut denim. So hopefully the rest of the outfit can make up for it. So we just got our pair of pants and yo, guess how much the price was. So it's my birthday month. I got $5 off with a discount. This ---- was 92 bucks. So do I think they should come back? No, I think they should say bankrupt. But I did like a few pieces. If you do go to Express, their camp collars, they had some nice jackets as well. Their polo tees, they had some nice mesh tanks. The summery stuff, I kind of like. I think they should really work on their pants selection. I think they're just really sticking with that slim fit dapper look, which is fine, but they already fall for bankruptcy. I don't know how much longer it's going to last or slim fit's going to come back really hard, but I want to keep my hopes up. This next store though, really means a lot to me. All right, next up we have Vans. Now at its peak, they had over 1,135 stores. Now they're only down to 416. That's more than half of their stores. And in 2025, they had a 14% drops in sales, meaning they closed over 140 stores. Now I have a pretty soft spot for Vans because I would go to my local skate park. They had this thing called All Nations Skate Jam, sponsored by Vans. So ever since then, I've been a diehard. Really sad to see that they're closing a lot of stores, but let's spin the wheel and see what we get. Let's see. Come on, come on, come on. And it's a jacket. Let's go see what we can find. Vans is just like how I remember it. The layout is the same with clothing in the front, shoes in the back, a wall of skate decks. Hopefully we can find a good jacket. Vans has some decent jackets right here. Oh, this one's heavy. Okay, satin bomber. Looks like a dry jacket for sure. Literally me. Oh, they got some nice pieces here. Here we got a simple little work jacket, a little bit lighter. Zipper hoodie's pretty sick. It's going to work with the outfit though. I don't know. These are another popular, something you'd wear whenever you skate. I see a lot of skaters rock these. These are like rugby shirts. I really like these. They look dope. Coach's jacket with the hoodie attachment. It's not bad. Guys, remember the slip-on days? I still rock mine. I don't know why people hate on Vans. I still love Vans. I rock my slip-ons quite a lot, actually. Vans trying out different silhouettes though. So I think they're trying to get to a new market, cater to a new market. But this is like some trail shoes, some low soccer type shoes. Now, I feel like they're not experimenting enough because I went on to their online storefronts and you know, I get it. It's usually online storefronts have more interesting pieces, but there is a lot of really interesting pieces and none of them were in the store. So if they closed 140 storefronts as part of their relaunch campaign, well, I'm not seeing that relaunch. Now, I did get the coach jackets, but overall, nothing's really changed about the store. Skate culture isn't as big as it used to be. So it's harder for Vans to reach a wider audience. Unlike another store we checked out that really surprised me. But before we get to that, should Vans make a comeback? So do I think they should make a comeback? Absolutely. Some of the best customer service, classic sneakers. And you know, funny enough, as I'm filming this, Vans and Louis Vuitton are beefing a little bit with Pharrell's new creative direction. This is kind of a good thing. And maybe we're past the fall and onto the rise again. Up next is Foot Locker. Now at its peak, 3,600 stores. Now there's only 2,500. And this year they're closing 400 more stores because they've been acquired by Dick's. And this seems to be the case with other footwear storefronts like Finish Line, which was acquired by a much better store in 2018, JD, which is why I see so many of those. Or like Journeys, which at its peak had 1,200 stores and has since then closed over 400 of them. But it's time for the roulette wheel. We got a lot of options like shoes, footwear, kicks, ball high. Hopefully we land on something good. All right guys, so here's our roulette wheel. I'm really hoping for sneakers. And we got ball high, which is sneakers. Let's go. It's gotta be a cohesive outfit. This Foot Locker also has House of Hoops. So it's actually kind of, kind of dope. Let's check it out real quick. These are sick. Although not cool anymore, but I still like them. Okay, that's cool. So yeah, I have no problem turning off the cameras whenever it comes to filming in public. I get it. They were totally cool about it. Usually when that happens though, cause it's a little awkward, I just kind of leave the store. Now I don't know if it's just me and this is off camera by the way, but I've never had a amazing experience in Foot Lockers. Usually the customer service is just subpar. Is that just me? Am I tripping? Maybe that's contributing to the downfall. I don't know. Anyways, I decided to head over to JD and I picked up my first pair of Asics. This is the gel NYC model in the coffee colorway. Very interesting sneaker. Not sure how it'll look on the fit though. Anyways, let's answer the question. Should Foot Locker come back? Nah. Listen, Foot Locker, you should probably take some notes. I just think JD outperforms Foot Locker in pretty much every metric, especially when it comes to the customer service and the experience being in the store. Sneaker culture has just declined in general. And there's a lot more clothing in JDs, which I think is a contributing factor to Foot Locker's decline. So our next storefront is Urban Outfitters. Now hear me out, hear me out. They actually haven't lost too many storefronts, but I feel like culturally gone downhill. I haven't been in Urban Outfitters in like five plus years. Now, when I did come here, this was back in like the, you know, the scoop tea, Chelsea booth with zipper denim era, anything of that source. You guys remember what it was like back in the day, but I don't really go here anymore. So our roulette wheel, our physical one disappeared. Okay. So we're gonna have to roll with the app. So let's see what we get. And it's a base layer. Let's head inside Urban, see what we can find. So base layer is the layer that will go underneath the F1 jersey. Let's see if we can find one that has a nice contrast and texture when we layer it. Nice pair of jorts right here. BDG is actually Urban Outfitters in-house brand. Workwear pants, they're double knees. These are actually quite nice. I don't think they're legit double knees though, but it's just the look of it. It's got a nice wash. Yeah. Urban's always been known for their graphic tees. There's a nice selection of headwear as well. So Urban Outfitters still has a lot of good pieces. They even have record labels. They've even branched out to on their online store, more interior design. So they're sort of switching up their strategy versus back in the day. It was just all like the coolest brands that you would think of. Stussy, these Nirvana band tees. And I'm not gonna lie, after going through Urban's home decor section on the website, I might buy a couple things. But let's go find that base layer, shall we? I'm thinking a long sleeve. I'm gonna have to roll with one of these knitted sweaters. Not exactly my type of piece, but why not? This should make it more fun, right? Let's go with this stone blue sweater. Let's try it out. So not my typical fit, but this actually ain't too bad if it's pretty nice. So yeah, I ended up buying this piece. I think it'll be great to layer underneath that F1 jersey. And honestly, Urban Outfitters still a vibe. And I feel like they are connecting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha with their blind boxes, camera stuff, trinkets. They're really making moves. So do I think they should come back culturally? Absolutely. They haven't lost any storefronts, but I feel like people need to physically go into stores. I think Urban definitely needs to come back for sure. Now this next store was one of the top competing brands to H&M, Fashion Nova, and of course that store is Forever 21. Having 800 stores globally in 57 different countries, their problem was their unsustainable retail footprint, their slow adaptation to e-commerce, which is why stores like Shein crushed Forever 21. But Forever 21 was bought out by JCPenney in 2025 when they went bankrupt. So all of their merch went into these JCPenney stores. So I checked out my local JCPenney to see if I could find any Forever 21 products. And this JCPenney, it wasn't doing too hot. It had this liminal backrooms vibe, which I found interesting because I already made a whole video about the state of American malls in general. You guys can find it in the link in the description, but let's go scope out for some Forever 21 products. Now we tried looking around and there isn't any Forever 21 sections or Forever 21 pieces, but I do know that they still sell online. Let's spin the roulette wheel and see what we get. And it's an accessory. Let's see what we can find on the website. Hopefully they have some good stuff. Let's go do some browsing. So guys, we're at Forever 21's website. Let's just check out what they have. So as you can see, there's actually some pretty decent looking stuff. Quality probably won't be as good. That's just the way fast fashion is. But we got, you know, some knitted polos, got a nice cardigan right there, some sets. This sweat set's actually kind of dope. I mean, some of their models, like they're rocking jeggings. These aren't even skinny jeans. They're like jeggings. I mean, there's some okay stuff, but we are looking for an accessory. Let's go to accessories in general. Okay. It's looking like a lot of stuff for the ladies. Hello Kitty. Okay. We got a cap. Beverly Hills baseball cap. This is actually kind of nice. It's a two-tone cap. It looks like navy white with the gold hardware for $5.99. Shy rat, guys. I think... What's going on? $5.99? It's not too bad. We're going to add it to the cart and we'll check back in with you guys whenever it arrives. So yeah, here's the Beverly Hills baseball cap. $5.99. Very good price. The quality, it's okay. But the question remains, should Forever 21 make a comeback? I'm going to say no, just because they're basically on their way out. If I was JCPenney, I would not waste the resources. I'd probably put that money into Aeropostale since they own both groups. Top Man. On the same boat as Forever 21, solely focused on online shopping, which at its peak had over 500 storefronts in 58 different countries. And that is because Top Man and Top Shop, same store, its parents' company, Arcadia, collapsed because of heavy debt and of course, the pandemic. It was acquired by ASOS. They closed all physical storefronts and ASOS then sold its majority stake. Now, a couple of years ago, they actually did have a section in the Nordstrom physical storefronts where you can actually browse through the items, check them out, try them on. But right now, they're really only focused on online shopping. Well, let's spin the wheel and see what we have to shop for. Okay. It's another pair of bottoms. I actually kind of needed that after that express shopping spree we did with the pants. So let's go pick up some pants. I sent it over to their website. There's some really decent pieces actually. We got this nice ringer tee, a nice striped sleeveless tee, which is kind of cool. These Bermuda shorts type vibe. We've got some crochet vests, nice wide fit trousers. I always liked Top Man's quality. It was always somewhat decent. I don't know why they've closed so many stores. They have some really nice stuff. Let's go to the legwear section. I think we should roll with some trousers. Yo, some of these trousers, man. I'm telling you, they got some good stuff. Let's actually head over to Nordstrom site. Oh, look guys. Here I am on Nordstrom website selling my necklace. Look, that's your boy right there. Anyways, I got a little distracted. I think I might roll with these ones right here, the herringbone pants. So it's got a nice wide fit and it's a different switch up than black pants, which is what I probably would have went with to be safe. Let's add it to the carts. And here it is. It's a lot more wider fitting, has a nice color to it. And you know, I usually like anything black on the lower half of the body. Really can't go wrong with it. Anyways, these pants are a nice switch up. Top Man has a great selection of pieces. I bought my own stuff with my own money last year. A ton of nice pieces. Yeah, I decided to get these pants over here. So yeah, as you guys can tell, do I think Top Man should come back? Absolutely. So now let's head over to the eighth forgotten fashion store. So our next store is Guess. Now I had to speak, they had about 500 plus stores and now they're down to just over 200. So half of their stores have been wiped out. And fun fact, 30% of their stores are in Florida and Texas, which I don't get why, but that's just kind of cool. And globally, Guess is actually still a popular brand, but in North America, downhill. Because personally, I know them for their big logo tees, which is like just a thing in the 20 teens. And also, slim fit just ain't the thing anymore as well. It really isn't appealing to the younger audience, which is a little bit more loose fit, which is what contributes to them being a more forgotten brand. Now we have to spin the roulette wheel to see what we get. All right, let's go for it. And we have accessories. Let's see if they have any, I think they're just known for their jeans and their shirts. Maybe they'll have something. Let's go find out. All right, guys. So Guess, they still have like that classic menswear look. It's more like something you wear as like a quote unquote more mature look. But I remember back in like 2017, like this shirt, it was like red and the interior was white and big Guess logo. That was like the thing. These are still, they still feel very nice quality. Like this is some nice metal hardware back here. Nice suede. But yeah, I don't know anybody that actually still shops at Guess. And over here, they're denim. Still just very slim fit, tapered. I don't even see any straight fits. It's just all slim tapered. And I'm fine with slim fit too. I still wear slim fit, but maybe go for like flared fit or a boot cut where it's still slim fit, flares out a little bit. I think that'd be a better move to appeal to more people. We're looking for accessories. There are accessories here. You see some nice shades. This ain't bad. You see this. It's actually kind of cool. The shades are dope, which is why I picked them up. And the outfit, it's almost complete. But here are my thoughts on Guess. Do I think Guess should come back? I'm going to lean no. Overall, I think they just feel outdated as a brand. I think they could do better. And now our final forgotten fashion store. This one is a nostalgia trip. All right, guys. So our next store is Zoomies. They've already closed 17 of their storefronts. And the CEO says in 2026, they're going to close 25 more storefronts. And that is because of the changing landscape. So was the case with all these other stores we've gone to. Now, they're claiming that it's not a sales decline, but more so a new strategy. We don't know what that strategy is, but I imagine they're just saying this to please their investors. Because as of now, year to date, Zoomies stock is actually down 30%. Now for me, this is kind of sad because I love skate culture. It's basically built the foundation of my style. It'd be like circus sneakers, DVS. If you guys remember that globe, ballin sneakers. But a lot of those brands have already fizzled out, gone out of business. But we need to spin the wheel and see what we're going to pick up. All right, Zoomies, let's see what we get with the roulette wheel. And we got another accessory. So I've always seen a lot of hats and beanies. Let's see what we can find. And as soon as I walked in, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I'm surprised they still sell lanyards. Lanyards? Yo, this is like 2010 swag boy era, bro. You put your lanyard in your pocket like that? Dude, that was a thing. I love boobies, bro. This was, they still sell this. This is crazy. DC was huge. The chunky skate sneakers, like, that's what brought me into Zoomies. You got some nice accessories over here. The Nixon watches. If you got like a white Nixon watch or a white G-Shock for the white sunglasses. Listen, this context is important. Zoomies doesn't have the best relationship with the skate community. It's mostly because of core brands versus corporate brands. Core brands are brands that are owned by skaters, very in tune with their community. Corporate brands focus on mass appeal, which means maximum profits. And that typically dilutes the culture. So I chatted with some of the employees to get their perspective about being a corporate mall skate brand. Hit up some of the employees. They're helping me out. These guys are real chill. I want to ask you guys, like, do you guys feel like Zoomies has fallen off as a brand? I feel like Zoomies, I mean, back in the early times, like, especially when I was a kid, like, I feel like it did fall down a little bit. But as of recently, like, we've had a lot of newer brands that a lot of kids nowadays actually wish that they had. And like we're a provider for that. And I think even though like Zoomies has had its ups and downs over the course of the years, I think it's in a really stable spot now. I think that really what Zoomies is for the people that don't have, you know, the L.A. culture, the brands from New York or whatever. If you're from the middle of nowhere and that's all you got is Zoomies, bro. All for it, bro. Like. Provides access. Yeah, of course, bro. And I love fitting people up that especially like when they have kids come in, they don't know what they want to buy. Bro, this is like their time to get into that culture, skate culture, streetwear, whatever they want to go goth. Like, we got it all. For sure. I love that. Y'all skate? Y'all skate? Yeah. Are we able to do a kickflip here? Can y'all kickflip? I'll do it with you guys. Try jumping forward. Oh, you almost got it right there. Hey, let's go. Tray flip, let's go. I appreciate it, bro. Y'all are some of the chillest employees I've ever like kicked in. Of course, man. Now, I've got my own opinions about core brands and corporate brands. You need both, but that's not the point. I don't exactly know what Zoomies strategy is, but it seems to be working because the store was full of people. And that is a great thing for the community. And these dudes are putting in the work. If the higher ups are approaching Zoomies like these guys are, I can definitely see skate culture coming back. So maybe Zoomies is on the come up as well. Anyways, to the accessories. I think we're going to go old school, like 2010s. We're going to go with the I Love Boobies lanyard. This supports the breast cancer foundation and whatnot. Now, we've acquired all the pieces. So here is the outfits. I'm not really feeling it, but more importantly, the Zoomies deserve to make a comeback. I am going to say yes. And even though I still recommend supporting your local skate shops, I have a lot of love and nostalgia for Zoomies, and so do a lot of other people. How are you feeling about the fit? You like it? Yeah, I actually like it. Hello there, Johnny here. If you guys made it this far, why not follow me on Instagram? It's Fly With Johnny Tai, and how about we kick it a little bit longer? Check out one of these other videos. You sure you like this outfit? Yeah, I actually like it. Why do you sound so surprised?