top of page
  • Writer's pictureAntonia Antrobus-Higgins

Brandy Melville a.k.a Brandy Evil

Updated: May 2, 2020

Brandy Melville, teenage girl fashion company, is the encapsulation of “You Can’t Sit with Us.” The 'one size fits most' policy and the lack of racial diversity means that company has crafted the ideal 'Brandy Girl' as someone who is a size US 0 [1], and invariably white, with blonde or brown hair. However, in an era in which inclusivity is the new exclusivity in the fashion industry [2], companies like Victoria Secret, in an effort to not go out of business, have had to embrace diversity of size, and ethnicity.[3] Why is Brandy Melville the exception?


"You Can't Sit With Us" is the iconic line from 2004 Mean Girls (the only one we speak of)

Brandy Melville was created in Italy by Silvio Marsan and his son, Stephan Marsan in 1970. It was brought over to the US in 2009, and opened its first shop near the UCLA campus.[4] In Piper Jaffray’s semi-annual “Tacking Stock with Teens” report of fall 2014 surveying teenagers’ spending habits, Brandy Melville was ranked as the most up-trending brand by American teenagers. That year, retail analysts estimated that the annual sales of Brandy Melville were “in the range of $125 million and growing from 20 percent to 25 percent each year.”[5] Unconventionally, the company does not use advertising and instead uses Instagram as the main platform in which it communicates with its consumers. As such, in 2014 Bloomberg described Brandy Melville as “Instagram’s first retail success”[6] and in 2017 the Financial Times wrote about Brandy Melville’s success as “the rise of the Instabrand.”[7] One glance at their Instagram and you can see the clear trend of white young women with straight blonde or brown hair, which the company terms 'Brandy Girls.'

Consumer psychologist, Michael Solomon argues that we should think of brands as personalities. "A brand personality is the set of traits people attribute to a product as if it were a person."[8] It appears that Brandy Melville has fashioned 'the Brandy Girl,' as a hybrid of the girl next door and the popular 'untouchable' girl in school. She haunts many of us in our nightmares, but we wish we were her in our dreams.


This is illustrated through the company's hiring policy which is based solely on appearance. In fact, this shallow quality of the brand seems to be in the very fabric of the company, as Brandy workers are notoriously judgemental, rude and elitist. As such, the 'mean Brandy worker' has become a meme [9], and there are even ASMR 'mean brandy worker' videos on Youtube.[10] Perhaps, the feeling that you're being judged and looked at in a Brandy Melville shop is because you sort of are. Much like model scouting, employees are encouraged to look for customers in the shop who 'fit' the image of the brand, and offer them a job.[11] Former workers have stated that this 'application process' consists of a full-body picture being taken, and them writing their name, age, availability and Instagram handle on a piece of scrap paper. The pictures of prospective employees are sent to the CEO, Stephan Marsan, who approves them if they fit the 'Brandy image.'[12] In fact, a former store employee accused the company for laying her off after they employed 14-year-old models.[13] It could be argued that many brands hire employees based on looks, such as Abercrombie & Fitch and American Apparel [14], but these companies have fallen to the waste sides. What makes Brandy Melville so different?


First, their market research team know exactly what their customer wants. This is because it consists of a group of 20 of young women who are the company's demographic.[15] They research and come up with new ideas for clothing styles and designs and to give their opinion on new season pieces.[16] The models who they employ to take pictures for their Instagram account, are also able to take free clothes from a select range, and the company looks at their receipts to see what they liked, and so what the Brandy consumer would.[11] The brand's Instagram profile allows for direct interaction with its consumers, whom through their likes and comments also demonstrate to the company what their consumer wants. This results in a magnetic pull for many teenage girls to the company. Whilst they disagree with the company ethically, they resolve, "but their clothes are so cuuute! I'm weak..."[17]


Clearly, the fervent attention to the idea of a 'Brandy Girl,' from its in store-workers, those who are featured on the Instagram profile, and those who are allowed to wear the clothes, is to create this ‘girl next door meets popular girl’ brand personality. Michael Solomon argues that we are in fact what we wear, as “you don’t buy something for what it does, you buy it for what it means.”[18] This is called 'enclothed cognition', which describes the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes. As in one study of 'enclothed cognition,' researchers found that when the participants wore a lab coat, they showed higher levels of attention in completing the task. However, when told that the lab coat was in fact a painter's coat, the subjects stopped being attentive.[19] Thus, in buying Brandy Melville clothing, the teenage girl, buys into the fantasy that she will become the idea of the popular girl who she envies, the Regina George; the Karen Smith; the Cher Horowitz. This makes the young women aspire to wear their clothes, work in their store, to model for their Instagram and be a Brandy Girl.

Regina George, Karen Smith and Cher Horowitz calling Brandy Melville to ask why they only have one size

In order for the company to create the fantasy that through buying Brandy Melville clothing one can become the 'popular girl,' the ability to buy these clothes has to be exclusive, as people who fit outside this 'ideal' also wearing the clothes, would shatter the illusion. The use of Instagram as their only avenue of 'advertising' facilitates this, as one knows of the brand through word-of-mouth. According to Instagram demographic statistics reported by Omnicore, almost 60% of internet users aged 18-29 use Instagram, and 68% of the Instagram users are female.[5] This means that their demographic of young women is reached directly. This hidden nature of the company is reflected in their discreet store signage; you have to be part of the exclusive 'Brandy club.'[20] This is increased by the scarcity of Brandy Melville shops, as there are only 154 stores worldwide, 96 of those locations being in the US.[4] To put this into perspective, H&M, another fashion retail company has 5,000 stores around the world.[21]


'ONE SIZE FITS MOST' POLICY


The comment section illustrates excluded consumer's pleas for inclusive sizing

The majority of the criticism that has been directed to Brandy Melville has been due to its 'one size fits most' policy. Since the company is largely in the US, it seems intuitive that this 'one size' would cater for the average American teenage girl. However, the size 0 and 25 waist clothes do not correlate with the average size of an American teenage girl (13-19) which is a size 12, and a waist size of 32.6 inches.[22] These sizes mean that the 'one size', is essentially out of reach for many teenagers; this one-size does not fit most.

Brandy executive, Jessy Longo, in a now offline interview, stated, "We can satisfy almost everybody, but not everybody. The one-size-fits-most clothing might turn off somebody if they don't walk into the store, but if you walk in, you'll find something, even if it's a bag." [23]

This company defence does reveal an interesting phenomenon that results from their exclusive sizing which is key to why the company is still successful. Some consumers in an effort to attain the image which Brandy Melville represents, will purchase anything that can fit them, even if it's just 'a bag.' The 'one size policy' is part of their 'inclusion framing' marketing strategy, as the company indicates who the target consumers are, through who wears the clothes, and who works at the shop. This places the ownness on the de-selected consumers to see the difference between target consumers and themselves.[24]


Through this, the brand achieves the perception of exclusion without creating negative backlash effects. For instance, if the brand stated ' size XS/S only' (exclusion framing), the company would reject the majority of potential consumers, who would not even bother to walk in the door. This would exclude all those would otherwise buy 'a bag,' and would consequently lose the company lots of profit. The lie of 'one size fits most,' means that the consumer is unprepared for the rejection from the brand. Especially since 'skinniness' is a societal beauty ideal, 'fitting into Brandy Melville', becomes an aspiration as well. This is because fitting into the XS/S clothes becomes cognitively entwined with the idea of achieving 'skinniness.'


Simultaneously, those who are able to fit into this exclusive 'one size' clothing increase affiliation as they are made to feel part of an elite minority. This has been termed as the “Country Club Approach to Brand Promotion.” As just like a traditional country club “members value the status they achieve from claiming membership to [the] exclusive club and others aspire to one day join.”[25]


Hence, Brandy Melville's false 'one size fits most' policy encourages body dysmorphia in its teenage girl demographic. Eating disorders disproportionately affect teens, and these disorders are most prevalent in those between the ages of 12 and 25 - Brandy Melville's demographic.[26] The company utilises the fact that for many teenage girls 'skinniness,' is an aspiration, as it makes their XS/S clothes desirable as well. Teenage girls, are already prone to low self-esteem, due to the societal pressure imposed on women from a young age to look a certain way. Instead of blaming the clothes for not fitting them, they blame themselves, and resolve, "I need to lose weight to fit into Brandy."[27]


A skirt listed on the Brandy Melville UK website

Therefore, fitting into the clothes affirms to the consumer that they also fit this 'ideal' of 'skinniness.' Buzzfeed carried out an experiment in which five women of different sizes tried on the same Brandy Melville one size clothing. Study participant, Lara reflected that, "It made me sad to realize that I felt better about myself when I actually could fit into these clothes. That's not how I should feel about clothing."[28] The feeling of euphoria someone may feel when they try on their clothes in the dressing room because "Hoorah! It fits!," means that teenage girls may be more inclined to buy the Brandy Melville products that appear to give them this dopamine high.


Some may argue that encouraging body dysmorphia is not unique to Brandy Melville, as many fashion brands use size 0 models. However, due to the body-positivity movement, the fashion industry is starting to represent the diverse body types there are in the world. However, we're left again with the question, what makes Brandy Melville so different?


Brandy Melville has blurred the lines between 'model' and 'real person,' which makes it seem that the brand portrays an image which is more attainable, than is typical in the fashion industry. They achieve this through the candid "snapshot" style of their pictures, which are taken by IPhones.[5] Thus, someone may be able to see a model like Bella Hadid on the front cover of a magazine, and in their mind, not directly compare themselves because they think a) she's a supermodel, b) she has a private fitness instructor, and personal chef/nutritionist, c) the image has been retouched, and d) she may have had some plastic surgery. In contrast, a teenage girl browsing Brandy Melville's Instagram, will see images of celebrities, social media influencers, and shop workers, who all seem to be just going about their day. As such, they make the 'Brandy Girl' on the surface appear to be relatable and attainable, unlike typical models.

Kaia Gerber just hanging out on Vogue Japan December 2018 Edition

This attainability-exclusivity dichotomy is increased by the fact that many celebrities and social media influencers wear Brandy Melville. It is highly unusual for celebrities who earn considerable amounts of money to even go near high-street fashion (the ghetto). But from Kendall Jenner, to Taylor Swift, they wear Brandy Melville. In contrast to the typical celebrity- favourite brands, like Gucci, Brandy Melville is perceived as economically attainable. This increases brand desirability as fans can emulate the celebrities they admire through wearing Brandy Melville.

Youtuber, Emma Chamberlain wearing Brandy Melville. Her fans can't contain their excitement

However, the very fact that celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, the world's highest paid supermodel, fit into the 'one size', reaffirms the exclusivity of the brand, as it highlights the type of body Brandy Melville is designed for.


LACK OF RACIAL DIVERSITY


Someone in the brand's target market mocks the brand's attempt at diversity
Target consumers rejoice at picture of mixed race model with curly hair, but illustrate that this is not enough

Unlike the issue of the 'one size fits most' policy, their exclusion of people of colour is less frequently spoken about. Arguably, the lack of racial diversity in the fashion industry, is not unique to Brandy Melville, and has consequently become normalized. However, increasing calls for diversity, are causing the fashion industry to change, (slowly but surely). The proportion of ad campaigns featuring models of colour rose from 15 percent in the spring of 2015 to 35 percent in the spring of 2019.[29] However, we are left with the question again, why does Brandy Melville continue to be successful despite defying calls for diversity?


A 2016 study analysed 303 female representations in a pool of pictures from the Brandy USA Instagram account. 95% of the representations were white. Dark-haired Brandy Girls appeared more often in group representations (31.8%) than in single representations (22.1%), which implies that darker hair is not the preferred representation for Brandy Melville.[5] The company argue the brand is inspired by the idea of a relationship between a Californian girl named Brandy and an Italian boy named Melville.[4] As such the 'Brandy Girl,' is white, and ideally blonde. However, this idea created in 1970, when the brand was established, is outdated 50 years later, in an era of diversity and the rejection of the Western beauty ideal.


Beauty is power. As the notion of 'beautiful' is defined by the ruling class. From 1492 to 1914, the European empire colonized more than 80 percent of the entire world. Hence, the legacy of colonialism can be seen in how much of the world's notion of beauty (tall, white, slim, white, straight hair, blue/green eyes) is Western. For instance, in Nigeria, 77 percent of women use skin bleaching products.[30] Colonised by the British Empire from the 1800s to 1960, colourism (prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group) is the internalisation of racism. The idea of beauty is equated to whiteness.


Similarly, double eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is the most common cosmetic procedure requested in Asia and the third most common procedure requested by Asian Americans.[31] Plastic Surgeon, Yang Bin attributes this to the fact that, "Young people are influenced by Western culture. They want double eye lids, a high-bridged nose, flat cheekbones and a prominent chin."[32]

The Before and After picture for a patient who has undergone double-eye lid surgery

The Black is Beautiful Movement which started in 1960s America, aimed to dispel the internalised racist notion that black people's natural features such as skin color, facial features and hair are inherently ugly.[33] 'The Doll Test' conducted in the 1940s by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark to study the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children, revealed the internalisation of the white supremacist attitudes of 1940s America. The black school children were presented with two dolls: one white and one black (which the Clarks had to paint, because black dolls were not produced).

The children were asked:

1) Which doll they would like to play with

2) Which doll looked “black,” and which looked “white”

3) Which doll was 'good' and which was 'bad'

4) Which doll looked most like them


Most of the children preferred the white doll to the African-American one. Some of the children would even cry and run out of the room when asked to identify which doll looked like them. Kenneth Clark concluded, “These children saw themselves as inferior and they accepted the inferiority as part of reality.”[34]

Clark 'Doll Test' participant choosing the white doll

The Clark's 'Doll Test,' illustrates how ideas, such as internalised racism take root at an early age. Brandy Melville's target demographic can range from the age of 10-25. In these 15 years of a young woman's life, she transitions from a child to an adult (adolescence.) Therefore, enforcing the Western idea of beauty in this demographic is especially damaging, as it not only harbours the racist ideology that whiteness is superior, but consequently, that people of colour are inferior.


This ideology is the foundation of institutionalized racism, which we can see in the fashion industry. In 2018 less than 10% of the designers at the last New York Fashion Week were black, and only 15% of the models that walked the runway were black.[35] This is an industry of cultural appropriation [36], an industry in which hairstylists don't know how to do style natural black hair so models result to doing it themselves [37][38], and an industry in which designer brands such as Gucci, produce racist clothing.[39] Diverse representation in this industry, from those pictured wearing the clothes, to those seated behind the desk, is key for dismantling the racism that is in the very thread of the fashion industry.[40]


Gucci's $890 sweater created outrage due to its resemblance to 'blackface'

In conclusion, Brandy Melville or 'Brandy Evil' (whichever you prefer), is a company that utilises the pressure placed on teenage girls 'to fit in' - literally. Their use of Instagram, to blur the lines between attainability and exclusivity, highlights how the pressure placed on how we look is higher than ever, as 'the real' and 'the Instagram filtered' become one in the same. Their promotion of an exclusive definition of beauty - white and slim - prevents the progress the fashion industry is making. For instance, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show is celebrated for its diverse and inclusive representation of women. Not only women of different sizes, and ethnicities, but disabled women, trans women and pregnant women. One year after the Savage X Fenty’s first show, the Victoria’s Secret annual Fashion Show was cancelled.[41]


The Past - Victoria's Secret 2018 Show
The Future - Savage X Fenty 2018 Fashion Show

Unfortunately, whilst you may not agree with Brandy Melville’s one size policy and lack of racial diversity, your money speaks for you.[42]

Whilst, it can seem that the brand has a 'unique' style that cannot be replicated, rest assured knowing that their employees are tasked to take pictures of the outfits worn by trendy customers, which the company then copy.[11] Many have created DIY hacks on how to create Brandy Melville dupes, which will not only enable you to not support this company, but also, save your coin. [43]

Since Instagram is the main platform in which the company communicates with its consumers, who already in the comment section talk about the one size policy, and lack of diversity, a unified message delivered on the platform would be loud and clear, if not to the company, to prospective consumers. Subverting the brand identity is integral to this, as this is what the 'one size policy' and the lack of racial diversity boils down to. Hence, I would suggest on Instagram following the account that is specific for your country (e.g. @brandymelvilleuk), and their two verified platforms @brandymelvilleusa, @brandymelvilleeu, so you can comment #BrandyEvil each time they post.


Brandy Melville cannot be the exception.




References


[1] Dumais, E.M. (2015). These ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Clothes Are Actually Size Zeroes. [online] Observer. Available at: https://observer.com/2015/07/these-one-size-fits-all-clothes-are-actually-size-zeroes/.

[2] Tvina, A. (2019). Inclusivity is the new exclusivity: why celebrating diversity is a business imperative. [online] Novarize. Available at: https://www.novarize.com/blog/inclusivity-is-the-new-exclusivity-why-celebrating-diversity-is-a-business-imperative/ [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].


[3] Elan, P. (2020). The Victoria’s Secret ‘woke’ rebrand is only skin deep | Priya Elan. The Guardian. [online] 24 Feb. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/24/victorias-secret-woke-lingerie-diversity.

[4] Wikipedia. (2020). Brandy Melville. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandy_Melville [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[5] Mansikka, E. (2019). One size fits most? - Visual Representation of Women in Brandy Melville’s Instagram Images. [online] Available at: https://www.utupub.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/147326/Mansikka_Emilia_opinnayte.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed 20 Apr. 2020].

[6] Marsh, L. (2014). Brandy Melville: Instagram’s First Retail Success. [online] www.bloomberg.com. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-11/brandy-melville-instagram-s-first-retail-success [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[7] Ellison, J. (2017). Brandy Melville and the rise of the Instabrand. [online] www.ft.com. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/9979e39e-08a1-11e7-97d1-5e720a26771b [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[8] Solomon, M. (2020).Brand Identity - Michael Solomon - Consumer Behavior & Marketing Expert. [online] Michael Solomon. Available at: https://www.michaelsolomon.com/consumer-insights/brand-identity/ [Accessed 19 Apr. 2020].

[9] vloggingtea (2019b). brandy melville tik tok memes | vloggingtea. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhSzz3qQzmE [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[10] Jean, H. (2019). ASMR Rude Brandy Melville Employee. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEYlPzgV778 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[11] Chen, L. (2019). i lost weight to fit into Brandy Melville. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJOCRpjUZEU [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[12] Le, J. (2019). i applied to work at brandy melville SIX times & this is what happened... (asian/non-white girl). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRJ5AzEcjYM [Accessed 22 Apr. 2020].

[13] Chamberlain, E. (2018). why i quit brandy melville | ella chambo. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECD1sHnCWx0 [Accessed 22 Apr. 2020].

[14] Williamson, H. (2014). Model workers: The clothes shops that only hire beautiful people. [online] www.newstatesman.com. Available at: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/07/model-workers-clothes-shops-only-hire-beautiful-people [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[15] Muller, R. (2017). How Brandy Melville Built a Cult Following on Instagram. [online] brandchannel: Available at: https://www.brandchannel.com/2017/07/03/brandy-melville-070317/ [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[16] ldnfashion.com. (2017). Brandy Melville | 10 facts you might not know about Brandy Melville | LDNfashion. [online] Available at: https://ldnfashion.com/features/brandy-melville-facts/ [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[17] ‌Long, A. (2019). my honest thoughts on brandy melville & why i buy their clothes. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR7bLX4zgtc [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[18] ‌Solomon, M. (2017). The Psychology of Fashion - Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-zi4y_wMgY&t=11s [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[19] Adam, H. and Galinsky, A.D. (2012). Enclothed cognition.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, [online] 48(4), pp.918–925. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103112000200.

[20] TFL (2016). Brandy Melville: The Controversial Brand that Sells Exactly What Millennials Want. [online] The Fashion Law. Available at: https://www.thefashionlaw.com/brandy-melville-the-controversial-brand-selling-exactly-what-millennials-want/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[21] O’Connell, L. (2018). Number of stores worldwide of the H&M Group by country 2018 | Statistic. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/268522/number-of-stores-worldwide-of-the-hundm-group-by-country/.

[22] Healthline. (n.d.). Average Waist Size for Women: Measurements, Ratios, and More. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/average-waist-size-for-women#teen-girls [Accessed 19 Apr. 2020].

[23] Frost, A. (2014). One Clothing Store Only Sells Smalls. That’s Not Okay. [online] Groundswell. Available at: https://groundswell.org/one-clothing-store-only-sells-smalls-thats-not-okay/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[24] Yan, J. (2020). How to strategically reject? The impact of market segmentation communication on the brand desire of non-target consumers. mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca. [online] Available at: https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/handle/1993/34568 [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[25] Vanslette, S. and Waymer, D. (2016). Exclusive and Aspirational: Teen Retailer Brandy Melville Uses the Country Club Approach to Brand Promotion. [online] Available at: http://cssc.uscannenberg.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/v5art7.pdf [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[26] Monroe, J. (2017). The Scary Truth About Teen Eating Disorders: Causes, Effects, and... [online] Newport Academy. Available at: https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/scary-truth-teen-eating-disorders/.

[27] Fern, J. (2019). brandy melville made me lose weight. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTi673Lb9Rg [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[28] Foronda, C.L., Lara Parker, Kristin Chirico, Allison Bagg, Sheridan Watson, Macey J. (2014). This Is What “One Size Fits All” Actually Looks Like On All Body Types. [online] BuzzFeed. Available at: https://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/heres-what-one-size-fits-all-looks-like-on-all [Accessed 19 Apr. 2020].


[29] Kent, S. (2019). Fashion’s Long Road to Inclusivity. [online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/fashions-long-road-to-inclusivity.

[30] ‌Rao, P. (2019). Paying a high price for skin bleaching | Africa Renewal. [online] Un.org. Available at: https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/paying-high-price-skin-bleaching.

[31] Nguyen, M., Hsu, P. and Dinh, T. (2009). Asian Blepharoplasty. Seminars in Plastic Surgery, 23(03), pp.185–197.

[32] ‌CGTN (2018). Changing Face: China’s cosmetic surgery industry. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMedjeEncQw [Accessed 20 Apr. 2020].

[33]‌ Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Black is beautiful. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful.

[34] Blakemore, E. (2018). How Dolls Helped Win Brown v. Board of Education. [online] HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/brown-v-board-of-education-doll-experiment# [Accessed 20 Apr. 2020].

[35] Segran, E. (2018). Why racism is so entrenched in the fashion industry. [online] Fast Company. Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/90226152/why-racism-is-so-entrenched-in-the-fashion-industry.

[36] Soh, S. (2018). Does fashion have a cultural appropriation problem? BBC News. [online] 22 Nov. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46297329.

[37] Andrews, J. (2019). Model Olivia Anakwe Called Out Hairstylists Who Can’t Do Black Hair at Fashion Shows. [online] Teen Vogue. Available at: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/model-olivia-anakwe-calls-out-hairstylists-who-cant-do-black-hair-at-fashion-shows [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

[38] Bolton, R. (2019). The Backstage Beauty Experience Is Still Lacking for Black Models. [online] Fashionista. Available at: https://fashionista.com/2019/10/black-models-backstage-runway-shows [Accessed 23 Apr. 2020].

[39] Morwenna Ferrier (2019). Gucci withdraws $890 jumper after blackface backlash. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/feb/07/gucci-withdraws-jumper-blackface-balaclava.

[40] Sutton, S. (2019). If You Watch One Thing Today, Let It Be Naomi Campbell Talking About Diversity in Fashion. [online] Instyle. Available at: https://www.instyle.com/fashion/naomi-campbell-diversity-fashion-industry-wsj-tech-live.

[41] Petter, O. (2019). Rihanna Savage x Fenty: Fans call for diverse show to replace Victoria’s Secret. The Independent. [online] 21 Sep. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/rihanna-fenty-savage-lingerie-diverse-victoria-s-secret-a9114356.html.


[42] Denton, L. (2019). everything wrong with brandy melville. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5GoDEdJUdQ [Accessed 22 Apr. 2020].

[43] Perkins, D. (2019). making my OWN brandy melville clothes from walmart (you can’t tell the difference) ft. money saving. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxaZm-awpLU&t=227s [Accessed 21 Apr. 2020].

281 views0 comments
bottom of page