The Lure of Brandy Melville
Brandy Melville's success comes not from advertising or product quality, but from a deliberately cultivated aesthetic
Melanie Chang
I’ve braved the New England cold waiting outside a Brandy Melville for an hour before. Winter is by no means my favorite season (I’ve actually waited in the blistering sun as well), but the allure of the store just far outweighed the hassle. The thing is: I’m not the only one. I’ve seen lines stretch down the block with a security guard controlling the number of people who can enter. Now, if you’ve never been to the store, you might assume that the clothing is simply that unique. Well… not exactly. I’ve witnessed various other stores carrying almost identical styles however they never seem to sell nearly as well as in Brandy Melville. Maybe they contain a wide range of sizes for inclusivity? Yeah no. Brandy is notorious for its controversial one-size-fits-all clothing. The list goes on and on about why Brandy Melville isn’t the best store: no fitting rooms, rare discounting, expensive shipping fees, no return policies, etc. But people continue to shop there day in and day out. At first I assumed it was just good marketing. But that’s the weird part: I almost never come across Brandy Melville ads. So if the company isn’t relying on traditional advertising, what is keeping people coming back?
And yes, I am, unfortunately, part of the problem. I own Brandy Melville clothes. I’ve waited in the lines. I’ve complained about the return policy and then bought something anyway. What strikes me however, is how much of a greater phenomenon this is. I've seen the same crowds outside Brandy stores in Canada, too. So what exactly is Brandy Melville doing that other stores can't replicate?
The Power of the Brand
Brandy Melville is a brand that has a certain “California girl” aesthetic (Maihom). In the opposite spectrum of unique, the store actually carries fairly basic designs, with simple tank tops, solid color hoodies, and cropped cardigans. On top of that, the demographic is tailored to teenage girls and young women, and among them, Brandy Melville holds a
name that is almost universally brand recognizable (Cherry). I find myself sometimes pointing out people wearing Brandy Melville on my feeds. Or other times, I’ll find something that “gives Brandy” even though it’s not, which is strange considering its overall basic product line. Even the physical interior itself is decorated so that it obtains that same beach vibe. The store sticks to a muted color scheme, emphasizing whites, cremes, and soft beiges. They also create that rustic “California” look with unfinished wood detailing. There is an absence of sale signs or promotional banners as well, creating the feeling of authenticity ("Step into"). With this look of a “Malibu cottage”, Brandy Melville has also become an Instagram spot for vintage and aesthetic photos, particularly for teen girls. I, myself, have definitely seen pictures of just the store name headlined, as if to proclaim “yes guys, I went to Brandy”. Everything from the products to the physical store all contribute to the prestige the brand upholds, because the brand is the product. That’s what people are buying. Not the spaghetti strapped tank top, but the fact that everyone knows where the spaghetti strapped tank top came from.
Another huge part about the brand identity is the dreaded one-size-fits-all clothing. I say “dreaded” because of the floating controversy around the policy, as well as for the mere inconsistency of the sizing. You’d think that one size would mean one size, but somehow I find myself buying the same top in two colors and they’re two different sizes. Nonetheless, one-size-fits-all is one-size-fits-all, and just that exclusive four word phrase is enough to make the people who are included feel special. The sizing disproportionately caters towards thinner people and they typically only carry XS/S. While it has no doubt become a source of shame for some with its unrealistic body standards, it’s important to note it has also made a small select group of people who do fit it feel beautiful and united (Christiansen). For some teenage girls, wearing Brandy Melville can feel like a source of pride, which only makes them want to show it off more.
When the Customers Become the Advertising
Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never seen a Brandy Melville ad. So then how is the brand almost universally recognizable? The answer is that Brandy doesn’t need to put the product right in front of consumers. All those TikTok hauls, outfit inspos, and “what I wore today” posts naturally put the brand dangling in front of everybody’s noses. They focus on word-of-mouth marketing, which requires their clients to spread the word for them instead of billboards or 10-sec ads. So maybe I don’t see Brandy Melville ads because I’ve already seen the brand dozens of times through other people.
Surprisingly, they do still utilize social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. These are all platforms that are really in tune with Gen Z, where they post mostly try-on videos and styling tips. Their following isn’t actually all that impressive compared to similar stores, and despite owning a lot of their clothing and having all three of those apps, I never knew about their accounts until I searched them up myself. Actually, I went through a lot more user-generated content about Brandy before finding their official website, which tells us something on its own.
And it's not just ordinary customers doing the advertising. Celebrities have played a role in validating the brand, too. Major demographic icons like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner were sighted wearing Brandy Melville while on their own casual shopping trip. This sighting gave the brand another layer of social validation, which made it feel more desirable and that its clothing is part of high fashion. Additionally, seeing world-class supermodels dress in Brandy Melville’s one-size-fits-all clothing cements that small frame as the standard of beauty (Jackson). The celebrity validation has definitely added another layer of desirability to the brand.
The Psychology of Scarcity
Do you ever feel like every Brandy store you walk into carries different items? Well, that’s not an accident. Brandy Melville varies its inventory across physical stores and its website as another piece in its unconventional marketing strategy. For one thing, it creates FOMO, or the fear of missing out. In this generation especially, the rise of technology amplifies that feeling with trends and styles (Ginsberg). Just last week I took a trip to Canada where there was a Brandy Melville near our hotel. I felt like I had to buy certain items that weren’t in the US stores. Because clearly I would never get the opportunity again, right? That is the power of scarcity. Shoppers feel pressured to buy items immediately if they spot them traveling or visiting a location in another city, knowing they might not find them back home. On top of all that, there is the perceived scarcity created by the ridiculously long lines, rare discounting, and the fact that everyone else seems to want it. There have even been new color drops that obtained the title of “rare” which made coming across them that much more unique. I actually run a personal Depop account and something peculiar I notice is that whenever people sell Brandy Melville, they almost always price it ridiculously high. I mean higher than what the original is—especially those rare colors. And you know what? People buy them. In an article by The Science Survey, Ila Misra states, ““Brandy Melville has been a staple in my wardrobe for the last six years, and despite the controversy surrounding the brand, I’ve always found myself drawn to their clothing.”
Conclusion
Maybe the reason that other stores can’t replicate Brandy Melville’s success is because it is so idiosyncratic to just Brandy Melville. Plenty of stores use social media. Plenty have recognizable aesthetics. But no store is normally crazy enough to take on a company wide one-size-fits-all model. What might be commercial suicide for any other business is leveraged by Brandy to create a sense of membership. To add even more fun, they completely ignore public outrage. As stated before, there’s a lot of controversy floating around the brand’s name. Where many companies might respond by apologizing and pivoting, Brandy totally overlooks all that which paradoxically reads to teens as "authentic" and unbothered (Cherry). Unfortunately for other companies, recreating Brandy’s success requires leaning into aspects that bring a whole lot of regulatory, ethical, and social media scrutiny—risks that may not be worth it. From the power of the brand and the perceived status it gives to the unorthodox marketing and leverage into FOMO, Brandy Melville has become a remarkably resilient company that seems to have every teenager in a chokehold.
Works Citied
Cherry, Jaisel. "Brandy Melville Is a Gen Z Outlier." The Robin Report, ASG Company, 8 July 2026, therobinreport.com/brandy-melville-is-a-gen-z-outlier/. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
Christiansen, Ella. "The Psychographics of Brandy Melville." Christiansen Media Literacy Blogs, Blogger, 16 Dec. 2018,
ellafrella27mediablogs.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-psychographics-of-brandy-mel ville.html?m=1. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
Ginsberg, Simone, editor. "The Rise of a Fashion Enigma: Brandy Melville's Meticulous Marketing Strategy." The Science Survey, Flex Pro WordPress Theme by SNO, 11 Mar. 2025,
thesciencesurvey.com/spotlight/2025/03/11/the-rise-of-a-fashion-enigma-brandy melvilles-meticulous-marketing-strategy/. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
Jackson, Hannah. "Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber Can't Resist the Siren Song of Brandy Melville." Vogue, CN Fashion and Beauty, 21 Aug. 2025,
www.vogue.com/article/kendall-jenner-hailey-bieber-brandy-melville. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
Maihom, Nathanan. "Brandy Melville Aesthetic." Medium, 11 May 2021, medium.com/bascii-entrepreneurship-and-core-business/brandy-melville-aestheti c-c67543ca07b4. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.
"Step into Trendy Brandy Melville Stores in London." SOHO, Teksyte, 22 Oct. 2024, soho-london.co.uk/step-into-trendy-brandy-melville-stores. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.