Brandy Melville

Text by ALEXIS CHIU and DOMINIQUE LASHLEY

Photo by ANUSHE IRANI Brandy Melville backlash

TRENDY BRAND CALLED OUT FOR EXCLUSIVITY

THE BRANDY MELVILLE inclusivity, racist and fatphobic messaging, girl is tall and blonde. She dons as well as alleged unethical hiring practiccropped baby tees under over- es. According to a jarring Business Insider sized hoodies and garners thou- report by Kate Taylor in September, over sands of followers on her perfectly filtered 30 Brandy Melville staff members claimed social media platforms. This image is plas- higher management hired and fired several tered across the brand’s Instagram, a mo- employees on the basis of height, weight saic of small-sized white girls parading the and race. The article also alleges the compabrand’s one-size-perstyle garments around California cities and beaches. The Italian based company was founded “Its sizing policy reinforces this unrealistic beauty ny’s hiring process includes approval of the applicant’s appearance and Instagram account, with some employby father-son duo Sil- standard, which is being ees being required vio and Stephen Marsan in the early 1980s peddled by a group of to send daily outfit pictures to CEO but rose to promi- men in charge of Stephen Marsan for nence following the 2009 opening of its Brandy Melville.” approval. Furthermore, Los Angeles location near UCLA’s West— GIADA PARIGI, senior Black employees claimed they were wood campus. The routinely scheduled brand has since skyrocketed in popularity shifts where fewer customers entered stores among teens through its curation of a dis- and were sometimes fired after more white tinctive West Coast aesthetic. women became

“The brand is so popular and has such available to fill a big influence that it’s easy to spot one of their positions. their signature items of clothing in public,” Verde MagaPalo Alto High School Instyle Club Presi- zine reached out to dent Ariana Ebrahimi said. Brandy Melville,

With a store across the street from who declined to Paly, the brand’s influence on students has comment. been widespread for several years, but has The local recently faced backlash over its one-sized Town and Counclothing, unprofessional hiring practices try Village store is and “toxic” messaging. not exempt from these allegations. An inside look Though it is a cov-

Despite its popularity, Brandy Melville eted place for Paly students to work, emis no stranger to controversy. Many criti- ployees describe the hiring process as uncize the brand for a perceived lack of size usually quick.

Such was the case for Sara, an employee at a California location whose name has been changed to protect her identity. “Normally, I would expect them to say something like ‘We’ll reach out if you got the position,’” Sara said. “But once I was done with my interview, they were just like, ‘We’d love to hire you.’ And that whole process took about a week.” However, Sara refuted rumors of toxic work conditions, describing a friendly, supportive environment among employees. “I know there’s so many rumors and people assume the workers are [judgemental], but at least all of my co-workers right now are really genuine and nice,” Sara said. “We’re a smaller community, but we support each other.” Warped reflections As the brand’s controversy has grown, increasing numbers of students have also been speaking up about the unrealistic standards Brandy Melville sells to teen girls. Most prominently, its infamous one-sizeper-style sizing policy “Girls with a bunch of different body shapes who couldn’t fit into has been controversial, with many students feeling it promotes unrealistic body image standards. Ebrahimi, a former their clothes felt bad Brandy Melville shopabout themselves.” per, weighed in on the impact of the brand on — ARIANA EBRAHIMI, president of Paly’s her psyche. Instyle Club “It [Brandy Mellville] took a toll on society’s standards for girls since Brandy was such a popular brand,” Ebrahimi said. “Girls with a bunch of different body shapes who couldn’t fit

into their clothes felt bad about themselves because they didn’t fit into this brand that everyone liked.”

For some, the Brandy Melville clothes they wore as middle-schoolers no longer fit as they matured throughout high school. Students describe the brand restrictive size selection’s adverse effects on their mental health as they developed into older bodies.

“It [the brand] is advertised to grown women who are very small, but, in reality, it can mostly only fit young girls,” senior Giada Parigi said. “If you start off wearing it, you kind of have a mentality to stay that size. And maybe when you can’t fit that anymore, when you grow up, which is natural, then you feel kind of like sh-t.”

Sophomore Chista Irani also expressed frustration with the brand’s sizing policies.

“I don’t think this [the sizing policy] is fair to many people because no one has the same body type,” Irani said. “It also makes other people feel like they have to have a certain body type to buy brandy’s clothing.”

Parigi said that the lack of larger clothing sizes sends a clear message about what customers the brand values.

“The brand and its sizing policy reinforces this unrealistic beauty standard, which is being peddled by a group of men in charge of Brandy Melville,” Parigi said.

Confronting criticism

The avalanche of backlash against company policies in recent years begs the question: What makes Brandy Melville so popular?

Some students cite the collection of trendy clothing offered at affordable prices.

“I think everyone shops there because... [they’re] stylish and inexpensive,” senior Julia Tri said. “The one thing is it’s hard to find stuff that can fit you.”

Others also believe the exclusive sizing policies further play into Brandy’s marketing scheme as a sought-after brand.

“The more exclusive something is, the more hype and attention it is around it,” Parigi said. “That’s why luxury brands are so eye-catching and mesmerizing. It’s an exclusive group where only rich people have the means to afford it. And this is an exclusive group, where only very thin people can wear the clothes.”

Brandy Melville’s marketing strategy is unique in today’s fashion scene and may also play into the brand’s appeal. The company refrains from Internet ads, and shuns the use of professional models. Items never go on sale in-store, and their return policy is strictly store-credit only.

In response to ongoing criticism, Brandy Melville has recently taken steps to make its clothing inclusive of more body types.

NOT YOUR MANNEQUIN — Paly sophomore Chista Irani sizes up a Brandy Melville tank top in the store’s dressing room as the mirror in front of her falls away to reveal a less attractive truth — an exclusive image and unethical hiring practices recently exposed by a scathing Insider report. “Brandy [Melville] has clothing that is often very cropped that sometimes makes me feel insecure to buy or wear,” Irani said. “I feel like it’s created for a very specific body type.” Photo Illustration: Alexis Chiu

“Brandy is finally starting to head down that road of being aware that they would have more customers if they decided to do different sizes [of clothing],” Sara said. “So I think we have had a bad reputation but we’re trying to go down the right road.” v