The thought process behind a high schooler’s clothing purchases is often relatively superficial. Is this shirt cute? Will it help me fit into the popular crowd? How does wearing this make me feel? In the documentary Brandy Hellville and The Cult of Fast Fashion, viewers are forced to confront a deeper and darker reality regarding the history and circumstances of the clothing lining the shelves of their favorite store.
Brandy Melville is fast fashion, but what does that mean?
The term “fast fashion” refers to inexpensive clothing made quickly through the exploitation of workers to generate and satisfy trends. The intention is to create high demand for products that, by design, will soon be obsolete and disposed of unsustainably, constructing a wasteful yet profitable business model. Fast fashion emphasizes quantity over quality: 85% of new clothing consumed is discarded.
One size fits (sm)all:
Brandy Melville makes no secret of the body type that they are marketing towards. Their exclusively small sizing is intentional and essential for the success of their brand. By making all the clothing petite, Brandy Melville is preying upon the insecurities of teenage girls. To be a “Brandy Girl” is to be thin, popular, and pale. Girls who shop at this store and fit this image are meant to feel a sense of superiority, that they are part of an elite and exclusive club.
Recruitment of store workers:
Many of Brandy Melville’s store employees started as customers who were singled out while visiting the store and, based on appearance, were offered a job on the spot. Creepily, their CEO had a sophisticated camera system rigged up at cash registers in their stores, allowing him to personally inspect every teenage girl customer that came through. If he deemed a customer “Brandy material,” a little red light would start blinking behind the cashier counter, informing the cashier to take a picture of the girl checking out and offer her immediate employment.
Workforce culture:
Every day as an employee entered the store for her shift, she was asked to pose for a “store-style photo.” These photos started as full-body pictures but evolved to focus on just the employee’s chest and feet. Images would then be sent to a group chat with the store managers and company heads. If these higher-ups didn’t approve of the way the employee dressed or looked overall, her days at the company would be numbered. This established competition between the girls to look their best every day and have a relationship with the CEO, Stephan Marsan.
Stephan Marsan, Brandy CEO:
Stephan is a libertarian Trump supporter who was inspired by Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (the libertarian manifesto). Not only was this book on display in many of the Brandy Melville stores, but a sub-brand of Brandy was named John Galt (or J. Galt), after a main character in the book. Other personal views have worked their way into Brandy’s culture including racism, anti-semitism, and misogyny.
Workplace racism:
The few non-white Brandy employees were stationed in the stockroom or back of the store, out of view of the general public. In the documentary, one employee put it this way: “If you’re white, you have to be in sight.” All the white workers would be on the floor helping customers, the face of the brand.
How to process all this?
Like it or not, the products we consume do not materialize without consequence. If something costs very little and seems too good to be true, there is likely someone in the supply chain who is not being paid fairly or respected. Being intentional with the consumption of our products and withholding support for toxic brands can influence companies to strive towards sustainability and workplace equity in their business practices. With “cancel culture” having become the norm for Gen Z, the question is: How much will we allow Brandy Melville to do before we hold them accountable? A few years ago, Brandy received backlash in the media for their “one size fits all” mantra. They then simply changed their slogan to “one size fits most” and their profits increased by 20%. Though Brandy Hellville and The Cult of Fast Fashion is informative, this documentary alone will not be what cancels Brandy Melville. Customers have to make the active choice to seek clothing options that reflect more humanistic values.
