Over five decades ago, Fred Segal opened a local jeans-only store. This 300-square-foot store grew over the years, and with the expansion, Segal invited key managers to purchase and run select boutiques within their respective area of merchandising expertise within the Fred Segal center offering them to participate as franchisees under the Fred Segal brand. In May 2012, the worldwide licensing rights to the brand were acquired by SANDOW. In late 2012, SANDOW announced Fred Segal's expansion strategy to open new flagship locations, both internationally and domestically, launch Fred Segal’s first e-commerce site, and create private merchandise lines. In September 2017, Fred Segal opened their domestic flagship store on the corner of Sunset and La Cienega in West Hollywood, California. In March 2019, Fred Segal was bought by Global Icons. Evolution Media, an investment firm created by Creative Artists Agency and TPG Capital, will maintain a minority stake. Fred Segal opened its ninth store in Malibu in April 2019. Stores are currently spread across California, Switzerland, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.
In Clueless, Cher asks her maid when trying to put together an outfit for her driver’s licence test, "Lucy! Where's my white collarless shirt from Fred Segal?!"
In Season 1, Episode 1 of Entourage, "The Pilot," the first scene takes place in Fred Segal Melrose.
In Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero, Fred Segal is mentioned several times. Clay, the protagonist, thinks that all English boys he meets work at Fred Segal.
In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, relates the following story to her new classmates at Harvard: "Oh, Two Weeks ago, I saw Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal, and I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed!"
In , where Neil Strauss, the author, buys his first set of hip clothes.
In The L Word, during a flashback, Alice sees Dana in the Fred Segal cafe, which she uses as evidence Dana is homosexual, as it is "The biggest lezzy hangout in LA". It’s also mentioned while Shane is doing work for Veronica Bloom in the phrase "Fred Segal haircut".
In The Closer, Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson mentions that Sergeant Gabriel "likes his suits from Fred Segal", a fact which is noted by the medical examiner in a later episode.
