Do you remember Wet Seal?

Previous
Next

A teen clothing store similar to The Limited, Wet Seal was founded in Newport Beach, California back in 1962. Apparently, the name of the store stems back to a comment the founder, Lorne Huycke, made during a fashion show. A model supposedly looked like a “wet seal” wearing a bathing suit, so the store name changed from Lorne’s to Wet Seal. The chain went bankrupt in 2015, closed all stores in 2017, and became an online-only retailer in March 2017.

The Rise & Fall of Wet Seal

1962FoundedLorne’s was Founded

The company was founded in Newport Beach, California, by Lorne Huycke in 1962 as “Lorne’s”

1990IncorporatedWet Seal was Incorporated

The “Wet Seal” name is derived from a comment Huycke made during a fashion show commenting that a model wearing a bathing suit looked like a “wet seal. The company was incorporated as Wet Seal in 1990

2017DefunctThe End of Wet Seal

Ultimately, the company was forced to close all of its stores immediately and terminated all staff and employees by 2017.

Click through the gallery above for some of the most popular forgotten retail spots that are now gone, but never forgotten. Did we miss one of your favorites? Share your memories in the comments.