An Obscure Italian Brand Is Suddenly The Hottest Name In Teen Retail
Facebook/Brandy Melville
The company, which sells a wide array of tiny crop tops, high-waisted bottoms, and slouchy sweaters, didn't even exist in the U.S. until five years ago.
It still has a small store presence in the country - just 18 stores total - but thanks to a robust e-commerce business, it's now ranked No. 1 among brands that teen girls say they are starting to wear, according to Piper Jaffray's latest survey on teen spending. The company wasn't even ranked among the top 10 up-and-coming brands in previous surveys.
The company's recent rise has been helped by its popular Instagram account, which has more than two million followers and mainly features the same group of ultra-skinny, long-haired white girls posing in the brand's clothes.
Loading
Some of the girls appear to be professional models. Others are part of Brandy Melville's teen focus group, many of whom have become Internet famous as a result of their exposure to the brand's followers, reports Racked.
Loading
Kjerstin now has 24,000 Instagram followers, up from 3,000 before she started working for Brandy Melville. Girls sometimes come into the Santa Monica store and ask to take pictures with her, she said.
Another Brandy Melville employee, Alex Centomo (pictured below), now has more than 201,000 Instagram followers as a result of her work with the brand.
Most of the Brandy Melville's styles are one-size-fits-all, which has drawn some criticism.
"The last thing women need is another company creating low self-esteem and body image issues," blogger Laura Zaneuth writes. "I will not support a Brandy Melville or any company that discriminates the majority of women."
In an op-ed for the University of Southern California campus newspaper, student Rini Sampath wrote, "One size does not fit most. According to the Los Angeles Times, the average American woman is a size 14. The crop-tops and miniskirts that litter the shelves of Brandy Melville would barely cover the average American."
But the company isn't backing down. The sizing system is core to its marketing strategy. Prominently displayed black-and-white plaquards throughout the stores read: "One size fits most."
Loading
Abercrombie's advertising featured frolicking, half-naked co-eds, which upset many parents and made the brand even more attractive to their kids.
But unlike Abercrombie, Brandy Melville's ads don't feature any men.
Loading
Loading
Loading
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market