Brandy Melville, a fast fashion brand, is known for its laid-back, California girl aesthetic. However, it is also known for some controversial practices. One TikToker recently said she couldn’t even last a day working there. Now, another TikToker has gone viral for delving into one of the practices that might be one of the brand’s most controversial yet.
In the video, Brianna Gomez (@bbriannagomez) says she used to work at Brandy Melville. She claims workers were required to submit photographs of their outfits daily, including a full-body photo and a “close-up detail shot” of their chest. Additionally, she says they were required to submit details such as where the items were bought from. Gomez also mentions that they were required to submit images of what customers were wearing.
“I didn’t know, but it was going to men at the head of Brandy Melville,” Briana continues. “‘Cause if I still have these pictures of just hundreds of photos of the girls at my store, imagine what they have.”
The video has 2.4 million views and nearly 1,000 comments as of the publication of this article. Viewers in the comments section were shocked.
“The fact that brandy melville is still operating in 2024 blows my mind constantly,” one viewer wrote.
“Uhm wait…how is this not a violation of some law?!” a second questioned.
“Omg, this happened to me years ago,” another viewer shared. “They asked to take a pic of me and I said no bc I thought it was a setup (I was on probation at the time and thought my PO was behind it … ).”
@bbriannagomez Replying to @gremlingrrrl they had us taking pics of EVERYTHING😭😭 #brandymelville #brandyhellville #brandyworker #newportbeach #brandymelvilleemployee ♬ original sound – bri ˚୨୧⋆｡✧
The Daily Dot previously reported on this practice in a separate article. In the previously reported story, another former employee said the store does this to scope out popular trends among its audience.
“Working @ brandy melville & having to take photos of cute customers fits to send to head office which is why the clothes look similar to other brands,” the TikToker wrote in the on-screen caption of her video.
However, the conversation around Brandy Melville’s practices isn’t limited to social media. According to Fashion United, a documentary titled Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion, which will detail the troubles behind the store’s practices, is coming to HBO Max soon.
The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, which several Daily Dot staff attended. Our coverage of the Film Festival and larger conference can be found here.
While Brandy Melville has been around for a while, it seems that critical opinions about the fashion line are finally coming to the surface.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gomez and Brandy Melville for comment via email.
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