Fashion is a big part of how people express themselves. A popular clothing brand that students wear is Brandy Melville. The company is an international Italian clothing company directed to teen girls for its cute and simplistic clothes. Despite their clothes being cute, they brand their clothes as “one size fits all.” The term one size fits all should not exist due to the fact that people are different body types, and do not fit in one specific size.
“It would be a smarter marketing decision because a lot of people watch online videos about their clothes that want to fit in their clothes,” junior Ananya Sampathkumar said. “People will invest in that type of stuff if they have the chance to, and it would be good for the brand.”
Brandy Melville provides a wide range of clothes on their website and adds new items often. The brand’s fabric and quality of their clothes are great. Compared to other brands like Pacsun and Forever 21 the price range of their items is expensive, with their tops starting at $14 and their hoodies cost around $38.
The brand designs its clothing to fit the typical size extra small and customers who are “skinny” or “shorter” girls. When looking at the website, the products have one sizing option. Further investigating the sizing, the measurements are interesting. For tops, the length ranges from around 18 inches to 22 inches, while the bust is 16 inches to 18 inches. Meanwhile, the “oversized” products’ length ranges from roughly 28 inches to 32 inches while the bust ranges 22 inches to 28 inches. The way they size their clothes is a purposeful choice to give people an “oversized” fit.
The brand’s most noticeable item that has the oversized look is the Christy Hoodies. The term “oversized’” can be offensive to some students. Saying something is “oversized” means that the item fits bigger because it is not your normal size. Using this word to market clothing is a false marketing strategy.
Brandy Melville’s one-size standard adds to the ongoing issue of body shaming. Girls will degrade other girls for looking a certain way. Brandy Melville markets their clothes as “one size fits all” to prevent criticism of their products being size-inclusive. Size inclusivity is a way of body shaming. Their clothes being one size sends the message that one can fit all sizes. In reality, the clothing does not fit all sizes. Companies should not produce and market clothing as “one size.” This label and many other terms have affectteenagers’ self esteem and body image.
“I think Brandy Melville’s reason to have this one size fits all thing is because they are monopolizing this value that you are supposed to be or a certain size to fit in the clothes, but in reality, we all have different body types,” junior Priyanka Jidagamu said.
Brandy Melville’s products are great, but as a company, they have some problematic issues. To improve the brand, the company should design its products to fit a range of sizes. The brand’s clothing lacks diversity in race and size. Their “one size fits all” standard is false. This standard does not exist because people are of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Teens around the world should have the freedom to express themselves through fashion. It would be beneficial for Brandy Melville to quit this one size fits all standard because fashion sparks creativity and is not limited to any size.
Emily • May 12, 2022 at 4:48 am
I don’t understand why it’s so offensive to sell small sizes, when plus sizes are everywhere, how is that inclusive? We don’t have to “include”‘ everyone in everything, there are horses for courses, some things suit us, some don’t, find what suits you, find your tribe and stop trying to make everyone conform to your ideal.
Lexi • Oct 7, 2022 at 9:19 pm
You sound ridiculous. Plus sizes aren’t everywhere. I thought that was obvious when it’s a blatant fact that Brandy Melville does not include people of sizes larger than small.
Angela • May 5, 2022 at 12:17 pm
very nice article. well done! it helped me a lot. im not going to buy anything from that company
Eileen • Apr 29, 2022 at 2:12 pm
Unbelievable. Yet true the CEO asks employees to provide him with full body photos of themselves and he can decide to fire them based on that photo. T-shirts with a bust measurement of 16 to 18, that’s smaller than my waist is this for real ? Unbelievable. To avoid problematic reporting the reporter needs to fit the prototype of this Brand’s demographic
Caitlyn • Mar 6, 2022 at 2:05 am
Interesting article, but for a brand to be *inclusive* it means they would cater to the needs of all customers, also customers that are a size 24 or greater, while at the same time, not forgetting customers who fall into the categories of petite, junior, and small.
Size inclusive means EVERYONE should be able to shop somewhere, regardless of their size.
Size *exclusive* is what this article was trying to say. Brandy & Melville is a size exclusive brand. Not inclusive.
Lexi • Oct 7, 2022 at 9:21 pm
I thought it sounded weird lol
ken • Dec 17, 2021 at 1:09 pm
this article is intersting but just for future refrences Brandy Melville is not one size fits all, it only has smaller clothes. They sell their tops from xs to s and it is specifically for girls who have slim figures who can’t really fit into bigger clothes. If it is acceptable for stores to have plus size clothing, then it is 100% okay for a brand to only fit smaller girls—along with that, they have started making their smaller clothes a lot bigger because of the rage people have agaisnt their brand. At this point some girls (me included) who used to shop there, barley fit into the clothes anymore because they are too big. <333
Anonymous • Dec 16, 2021 at 8:48 pm
I completely agree, and think that they should offer all sizes in order ot not stereotype a woman’s body type. Just because you are a little bigger or taller, you should not have to not be able to wear these clothes just because their “one size fits all” does not accommodate you.