Brandy Melville is an Italian clothing store that is directed towards teenaged girls. It was created by Silvio Marsan and has been greatly popularized in North America, specifically California. The brand uses a muted color palette and it aligns with comfortable, simple clothing. Something unusual about the company is that instead of ‘properly’ marketing, it uses social media, and is still elevated from other brands.
History
The brand was created by Silvio Marson and his son Stephan Marson in the 1980s in Italy. Its name was based on a story that there was an American woman named Brandy. Brandy fell in love with an English guy name Melville in Rome, Italy. At first, the stores were not hugely commercially successful, but as time went on, the store’s success became rampant as teenage girls cyclically revive it with new fashion trends.
Marketing
As previously mentioned, the brand does not employ typical marketing techniques and strategies. It instead opts for a riskier approach, using social media as its marketing tool. The company’s research team is comprised wholly of teenaged girls, this is perhaps why the brand is so appealing to young women. One of the hugest celebrities in the world, Kylie Jenner has been a notable help to the company, posting often sporting Brandy Melville clothing.
Trends
In 2019 the brand noticed a major resurgence in popularity during the ‘VSCO Girl’ trend. Ever since then, the brand has maintained its popularity, and if you go to any of their locations you will notice lines that can take up to 2 hours. Brandy Melville maintains its popularity in part by keeping to its roots while exploring current trends. Another part of its popularity is because of its rarity. There are only 154 stores globally, and only citizens of the United States can get it shipped to their homes. The size of the in-person stores is almost comically small, making their stock low, making every single purchase feel special, almost as if you are special. One of the more recent trends of the decade in fashion is light pastel colors, which the brand sells an abundance of.
Controversies of the Brand
The store has received much backlash over the fact that nearly all sold items are ‘one-size-fits-all”. This has rubbed people the wrong way and came across as non-inclusive and not a representation of the average woman. To bounce back, it released ‘oversized’ clothing that tends to fit many customers regularly. Despite this, it still feels as though small girls are ‘rewarded’ for fitting into Brandy and this insinuates that if you cannot that you have an unhealthy body. Another controversy surrounding the brand is that on the website, models are primarily skinny white girls and there is little representation. This is damaging as it does not employ women of color and does not represent the true demographic of consumers.
Conclusion
Brandy Melville has been a successful brand from the get-go and will likely stay popular for years to come. Its many marketing tools and cute clothes will probably continue to carry it. However, unless the brand becomes more representative of bodies and skin colors, in the ever-growing cancel culture, the brand may not swim and will sink like many others before it.
Written by Orange Juice Stan
The Anonymous Helpers (TAH)