Brandy Melville, a European clothing and fashion accessories brand, markets their products to young women. However, the brand's American branch has started to catch heat for the company's noninclusive and unethical practices. Keep reading to learn about the in's and out's of this week's focus.
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Closet Confidential! In today's post, I'd like to delve into the deep, dark secrets associated with Brandy Melville and what to look out for if you ever plan on purchasing from them.
What is Brandy Melville?
Brandy Melville is a very "highly-esteemed" store for teenage girls across the country. Chances are, unless you have a Brandy Melville in your city, you probably did not hear about the retailer until it made headlines in 2014 for its wildly successful financials or its wildly controversial sizing policy.
Last year, retail analysts estimated that the company's annual sales were in the range of $125 million and growing from 20% to 25% annually. Compare that to the $255 million revenue that American Apparel, a brand with fairly significant similarities, was earning at the height of its success. Despite the brand's newfound success, however, Brandy Melville has not been able to keep its name out of the press due to their unique sizing strategy, which many perceive as a negative image for the company. But, before I delve into that, I'd like to discuss more about the affordability and the range of products Brandy Melville has to offer customers.
Brandy Melville and Affordability:
In terms of affordability, I would give this company a C+. While it's no SHEIN, with $6.00 shirts and dresses available, it's also not a designer brand, charging $60 per item. Instead, it charges a humble yet sustainable $18 to $30 depending on the product.
While this may be in the budget for most, many fail to consider the shipping costs that will be added later on and are pleasantly surprised when it comes to check-out time. The company's $8.50 shipping fee is nothing to scoff at, so keep this in mind when scrolling through their website.
Variety and Choice of Selection:
I'm going to be honest with you here. After being on Brandy Melville's website for about half an hour, I came to the conclusion that this store is nothing special and I don't really see the hype around paying ~$20 for a plain shirt or tank top that I could just as easily pick up at my local Target. To prove my point, I've included some pictures of popular picks from their website below:
Above are three products that can be found on the Brandy Melville website.
Other than basic graphic tees that have either "New York" or "USA" plastered on the front and black, brown, and grey dresses, Brandy Melville doesn't seem to experiment a lot with their selection of items leaving many consumers, including me, wanting to see more.
Now, don't get me wrong. If you're looking for a few staple items to add to your closet, by all means, go right ahead and buy. But if you're looking for a place to get fashion inspiration from and will keep you up with the trends, Brandy Melville is not the place to turn. The brand seems to be stuck in 2016 in terms of fashion trends, and does not seem to be progressing any time soon.
Sizing and Ethics:
Brandy Melville's sizing is one that continues to baffle anyone who's heard of or gone to buy from the store. The company is infamous for its One Size Fits All tagline, and claims to offer a sizing algorithm that is inclusive for all body types. Their supposed motive: to eliminate labels and reduce size discrimination in the fashion industry. However, everyone knows that this is quite literally bull...crap, for lack of a better term.
In reality, their sizing only allows for a small range of body types to buy from their store, these being XS, S, and sizes 0-4. Not to mention that if you're over a certain height as well, their pants, skirts, and dresses will not work out for you either.
A couple of weeks ago, I ordered one of their most popular products, the Rosa Sweatpants. Now, I'm 5'6'', so I didn't think twice about a possible height issue as I would classify that as pretty average. However, I was blatantly surprised when I found that the sweatpants didn't even reach my ankles! Unable to wear them, I ended up selling them to a friend rather than returning them as Brandy Melville makes customers pay for a return label back to their warehouse (this is pretty standard for most companies).
The fact that the company's size range is so minuscule can cause a lot of mental health problems for its target audience: young teenage girls. Being unable to fit into the "ideal" body type that Brandy Melville's sizing promotes can be detrimental to the mental health of girls, causing them to have lower self-esteem and develop body image issues. In fact, in 2014, when the brand began to gain popularity in the United States, eating disorder rates in adolescents were at an all time high.
The only reason Brandy Melville is unwilling to change their unethical sizing practices is to promote exclusivity, which in turn, increases the intriguing aspect that many girls see in the brand. However, in my humble opinion, I believe that increasing the scope of their sizes could increase profits and revenue as more people would not only be inclined to, but for the first time, be able to buy from the brand.
In all, as bad as it sounds, if you're thinking of buying from Brandy Melville, I would say that keeping your own size in mind is essential to getting the best experience.
Final Review:
Overall, I would give this company a 3/10. Brandy Melville's sizing is simply not where it's at, their clothes are pretty overpriced for the selection they have, the material is okay but not outstanding, and it forces girls across the country to feel ashamed about having varying body types. In today's day and age, especially in the fashion industry, inclusivity is a must and unfortunately, Brandy Melville has left theirs in the 1600's.
If you have any experiences with the company that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them in the comments below. Thank's for reading!
This was an amazing blog! As a teenage girl, especially in the time of covid, online shopping has been the main way I have been buying new clothes and this blog was very informative. I would have to wholeheartedly agree that their "one size fits all" could have devastating effects on teen girls and their self-images. It is also good to know that they don't have a great selection of clothing.
I found this post very interesting! Brandy Melville's sizing is very disappointing. In this day and age where it's all about inclusivity, Brandy Melville seems to be taking a step backwards. I liked how you included a personal experience with their clothes as it gave me more insight into the sizing the company uses. I was actually looking into purchasing the Rosa Sweatpants, but after reading your blog, I am reconsidering. I look forward to reading your future blogs and learning more about different retailers!
This article included a lot of insight into buying clothes from Brandy Melville! From the information that you provide about your personal experience buying their Rosa Sweatpants and your knowledge about their sizing, I can tell that you are knowledgable about this topic. I have always been wary about ordering from Brandy Melville. Recently, I purchased two Rosa Sweatpants, and I honestly can never get out of them. Although they somewhat fit me, the material is pretty bad. I never understood how "one size can fit all," and I agree with you that most of their products are not special.