Forever New at 20: doubling without discounting

Australian-born fashion brand Forever New has turned 20 with an unlikely-sounding ambition: nearly double its global business in the next three to five years while refusing to compete on the same terms as fast fashion.

Founder and CEO Dipendra Goenka and Managing Director Carolyn Mackenzie told ETRetail’s Top Shelf that growth will come from India, the Middle East and a planned US entry in April 2027. The brand currently spans 24 countries through over 450 stores and concessions.

The positioning bet

Most fashion growth stories are built on two levers: get cheaper or get faster. Forever New is explicitly rejecting both. Mackenzie put it bluntly: “The answer isn’t just simply about being the fastest to fashion and the cheapest.”

Instead, the brand is doubling down on fit, quality, design and versatility. That matters because shoppers increasingly ask whether a garment justifies its cost after the trend fades. Forever New’s answer is that value comes from how a piece feels, fits and performs across occasions, not just how quickly it copies a runway.

From occasionwear to everyday wardrobe

The brand began with dresses and occasionwear. Its future depends on earning a larger share of a woman’s everyday wardrobe—workwear, weekend dressing and occasion-led purchases. That shift creates more touchpoints and brings younger consumers in without alienating loyal ones.

The result is a multi-generational play: mothers and daughters shopping under one roof, with range decisions driven by sell-through, customer feedback and behaviour.

Data as an input, not an identity

Forever New is using social media, CRM, loyalty programmes and digital channels to understand demand, then adjusting production and newness where the data warrants it. But the leadership is careful not to become reactive.

As Mackenzie framed it, protecting design integrity, quality and fit sits “at the heart of everything.” The discipline: respond to the trends that matter to your customers, not every trend that exists.

What the expansion looks like

• India: larger flagship stores in leading centres, smaller edited formats for smaller markets; a Jaipur flagship within October and a Goa store later this year.
• Middle East: around 10 store openings annually.
• North America: first US store planned for April 2027, building on an established Canadian business.

Local execution gets real attention—fit, dress lengths, climate, occasions and pricing are adapted market by market, while the global identity stays consistent.

Why this matters for brand builders

Forever New’s plan is a useful case in premium brand architecture. It wants to widen access through clearer entry-price points without diluting desirability. The strategic tension is how to make the brand easier to enter while keeping it hard to replace.

The lesson for founders and marketers: distribution and discounting are not the only growth levers. Brand integrity is an asset that compounds—if you protect it while you scale.

Source: ETRetail.com