The recently released Max documentary, Brandy Hellville, shed light on the moral and economic issues regarding the teen-loved brand, Brandy Melville. Founded by Silvio Marsan and his son Stefan, the two opened the first Brandy Melville store in the United States in 2009 on the borders of the UCLA campus of Westwood, Los Angeles. Brandy gained serious popularity in the late 2010s when supermodels such as Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber were spotted wearing the brand’s clothes. Brandy Melville, also referred to as “Brandy,” quickly became the attire of the so-called “cool girl.” The major source of controversy concerning Brandy is their limited sizing; while the brand follows the motto of “one size fits all,” they limit their customers to young, traditionally thin girls. In addition to the controversy regarding the sizing of the clothes, the documentary reveals that the brand owners never designed any of the clothing they sold. Instead, they would take pictures of employees’ and customers’ clothes, copy the designs, and sell them.  For example, the brand’s popular “Jocelyn shirt” is a stolen design from a young female employee named Jocelyn.

Furthermore, another problematic aspect regarding Brandy Melville is their significant contribution to fast fashion through their production of cheap, trendy clothing. Brandy’s practices of mass-produced fast fashion have increased for years and the company has taken little to no steps toward reducing their impact. As a result of the overconsumption that results from this fast fashion practice, piles of wasted textiles build up in countries like Ghana and further develop the textile waste problem occurring in the world today. Additionally, Brandy manufactures most of their clothing in factories that utilize unethical labor practices.

Brandy Melville has yet to respond to the documentary. The only public action they have taken is turning off their social media comments on all platforms. The company continues to promote unjust work practices, exploit young girls for their benefit, and contribute to environmental issues. As stories continue to come out, people must recognize these issues and consider the known information before shopping at Brandy Melville in the future.