Former Tumblr teens, this one’s for you. HBO released a trailer for Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion, a new documentary that explores the personal and global impacts of the notorious fast fashion brand.
If you came of age in the 2010s, you are probably haunted by the memory of Brandy Melville, the fashion retailer that egregiously promotes the thin, white beauty ideal by only hiring thin, white girls to work its storefronts (everyone else was relegated to the stockroom). You won’t find numbered sizes at Brandy Melville, which stocks “one size fits all” garments that are more like “all fit one size,” encouraging disordered eating habits among its target demographic of teen girls.
And if any of that provokes a visceral reaction you’d rather not deal with, feel free to close this tab and do something nice for yourself instead of watching the trailer for Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion:
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner, the documentary explores the culture behind the fast fashion brand, from its problematic male CEO (is that redundant?) to the dangerous beauty ideals it promotes and the way that messaging affects the young women who shop and work there, as well as the harrowing effects the fast fashion industry has on the environment. The footage of literal tons of discarded clothing items washing ashore in Ghana is among the most disturbing things I’ve seen in recent memory.
Here’s the full synopsis for Brandy Hellville:
In the early Tumblr era of the 2010s, Brandy Melville became the must-have clothing brand for young girls across the world. Through a calculated social media presence and promoting an unattainable aesthetic, fueled by Instagram campaigns featuring its own employees and select “Brandy girls,” Brandy Melville conferred a sense of coolness to the teens who wore the tiny “one size fits most” clothes that quickly exploded and today has nearly 100 stores in over 15 countries and over 80 cities worldwide. However, candid interviews with former employees and fashion insiders, as well as troubling accounts from former executives, reveal a troubling toxic work environment and discriminatory recruiting methods at the company and shed light on the inner workings of a business that flourished by setting impossible beauty standards on social media and in real life for its customers and employees.
Behind the scenes, an environment of alleged discriminatory work practices thrived by preying on the desires of young girls to fit into the Brandy Melville aesthetic. Broadening its focus, the film examines the far-reaching reverberations of mass-produced fast fashion by Brandy Melville and other mainstream fashion brands, as well as the consequences of the collective increase in consumption and production of cheap clothing, traveling to Accra, Ghana, a destination for discarded textiles that end up polluting landfills and waters. From the microcosm of one cult-like brand to the universal detriments of disposable clothing, BRANDY HELLVILLE & THE CULT OF FAST FASHION exposes a wide system of exploitation within the global fashion industry.
Sounds like a fun sit! Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion premieres April 9 on HBO and Max.
(featured image: HBO)
