What Happened to Wet Seal?

1962–2017 Retail/Apparel • United States

💥 Fate: Filed Chapter 11 in 2015 and again in 2017; all brick-and-mortar stores closed in 2017. Brand later operated online under new ownership before going quiet/intermittent.

Founded in 1962 (originally as a surf shop that evolved into junior fashion), Wet Seal became a mall staple in the 1990s–2000s and also owned Arden B and former Contempo Casuals locations. Debt, shrinking mall traffic, and fast-fashion competition led to Chapter 11 in 2015 and a second collapse in 2017, when all remaining stores closed and the brand shifted to online-only under new owners.

Timeline

1962
Company origins in Southern California; later evolves into junior/fast-fashion retailer.
1995
Acquires Contempo Casuals from Neiman Marcus; many stores later converted to Wet Seal/Arden B.
2000
Peak mall-era presence with hundreds of stores across the U.S.
2015
Files Chapter 11; announces large-scale store closures amid declining mall traffic.
2017
Announces closure of all remaining stores after losing financing.
2017
Second bankruptcy; intellectual property sold, brand pivots to online-only under new ownership.