‘Brandy Hellville’: What to know about HBO’s new upcoming documentary on Brandy Melville

There has been a rise in exposé documentaries over recent years attempting to dismantle and unveil the often harsh realities of leading brands in the fashion industry. These are nothing new, yet, when one is announced, it inevitably gets people talking, building anticipation for what issues could possibly be unravelled and unpacked under the glaring light of international streaming platforms.

For some, however, their problematic backgrounds are already widely publicised. This has been the case for Brandy Melville, a brand that for years has been at the centre of accusations surrounding racism and discrimination. Founded in the early 80s, the company initially called Italy its home base before moving to the US in 2009, where it established a more prominent presence and its now ‘cult-like’ status.

It is from here that problems behind the scenes began emerging, lingering in the backdrop of a teen craze that catapulted the brand forward and subsequently led to the creation of the ‘Brandy Girl’ aesthetic. These issues are all set to be unravelled, detailed and underlined in a newly announced documentary by HBO Max, ‘Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion’, which premiered at the ongoing SXSW Film Festival this week. Here at FashionUnited, we dive into what you need to know about the infamously controversial brand and what can be expected from the upcoming feature.

Who founded Brandy Melville? What is the brand famous for?

Brandy Melville was founded in the early 80s by Silvio Marsan and his son Stephan, who formulated the concept based on an ‘All-American’ fictional girl with marketing that held a distinctly California-esque vibe. While initially based in Europe, the retailer was already showing evidence of wanting to capture a more Americanised consumer, with prices and clothing styles being relatively reflective of the region.

This only became more palpable when the company set about opening its first store in the US in 2009, with Marsan’s friend Jessy Longo appointed to oversee the move. The company now operates nearly 40 stores in the US, three locations in Canada and stores in Amsterdam, London, Paris and Germany, among other regions.

As it expanded, backlash surrounding Brandy Melville’s somewhat infamous and highly controversial ‘one size fits all’ sizing policy began slowly mounting. The size range sits mostly between US size 0 to 2 (UK 4 to 8 or EU 32 to 36) and applies to everything but the brand’s jeans offering, however these too can often only be found in size small/medium. Such a policy has drawn criticism for its alleged perpetuation of an unrealistic ideal for teen girls and has sparked concern for lacking inclusivity.

Accusations of racism and discrimination stain retail network

This emphasis on size has even extended into the brand’s employee network, for which a slew of reports in recent years have detailed allegations of related discrimination. A quick glance at reviews of the company on Glassdoor already reveals the epitome of the issue. Some former employees claimed that they were required to send outfit pictures to management, while others said that they encountered forms of sexism and other prejudice during their time there. This had previously come to a head in 2021, when Business Insider issued a damning report that unveiled a situation that was much worse than anticipated.

Next to added allegations that full-body photos were requested of sales associates, resulting in the termination of employees executives felt were “off-brand”, a former senior vice president for Brandy Melville, Luca Rotondo, told the media outlet at the time that: “If [an employee] was Black, if she was fat.. [CEO, Stephan Marsan] didn’t want them in the store.” Such practices had also led to two lawsuits from Canadian store owners, who had been terminated for not succumbing to Marsan’s request to fire employees that didn’t align with his ‘all-white’ policy.

Former employees, many as young as 14, had further claimed that they would have to “model” clothing for certain executives, some of whom believed that taking their tops off would lead to perks or raises. Additionally, a group chat of such executives unveiled by Insider allegedly contained racist remarks and forms of pornography, as well as an image of Marsan’s head superimposed onto the body of Hitler.

What can we expect to see in HBO’s upcoming documentary?

With the documentary having already been aired at SXSW Film Festival, details of what is to come have already emerged via various media outlets and through social media, building on the anticipation. The documentary is set to feature interviews with both former and current employees as well as executives of Brandy Melville and a former unnamed senior vice president.

The topic of idealised teenage girls will be at the forefront of discussion, with those participating addressing the discrimination that ran rampant throughout the business. It is also believed that the documentary will touch on the brand’s environmental impact, another hot-topic issue that many a fast fashion label has found themselves at the centre of in recent years.

HBO has not yet released a specific date for the documentary’s arrival on its streaming platform.