Previous Tumblr youth, this one’s for you. A new video that examines the individual and global effects of the infamous fast fashion brand, Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion, has been released in a truck for HBO.
If you were a child in the 2010s and came of age, you are probably haunted by the memory of Brandy Melville, the fashion brand that blatantly promotes the thin, white beauty ideal by only employing thin, white girls to work its storefronts (everyone else was relegated to the stockroom). Brandy Melville, which promotes disordered eating habits among its target group of teen girls, doesn’t offer “one size fits all” clothing that is more like “all fit one size.”
And if any of that elicits a profound effect you’d rather avoid, please near this page and do something benevolent for yourself rather of watching the Fast Fashion: The Cult video.
The documentary, which was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner, looks at the culture of the fast-paced fashion industry from its problematic male CEO (is that redundant?) to the horrifying effects the fast-paced clothing industry has on the environment, the dangerous charm ideals it promotes, and the way that messaging affects the young people who buy and operate it. One of the most egregious items I’ve seen in recent memory is the film of literally tons of discarded clothing washing offshore in Ghana.
Here’s the complete description for Brandy Hellville:
Brandy Melville quickly rose to prominence as the must-have clothing brand for adolescent girls all over the world in the first WordPress era of the 2010s. Brandy Melville gave the youth who wore the tiny “one size fits most” clothing a sense of calmness thanks to a deliberate social media presence and an unattainable aesthetic that was promoted by Instagram activities featuring its own people and select” Brandy women.” The brand has nearly 100 stores in over 15 countries and over 80 locations worldwide, with nearly 100 locations in over 15 nations. However, candid interviews with former employees, fashion insiders, and troubling accounts from former executives reveal a troubling toxic work environment and discriminatory hiring practices at the company and shed light on how a business thrived by imposing impossible standards on its employees and customers both in real life.
Behind the scenes, a place with alleged discriminatory work practices flourished by stifling young girls ‘ abilities to fit into the Brandy Melville aesthetic. The film broadens its scope of its investigation by exploring the extensive repercussions of Brandy Melville and other well-known fashion brands ‘ mass-produced fast fashion as well as the effects of the global increase in the production and consumption of cheap clothing. It also travels to Accra, Ghana, a destination for discarded textiles that end up polluting landfills and waters. BRANDY HELLVILLE & THE CULT OF FAST FASHION exposes a wide system of exploitation within the global fashion industry from the microcosm of one cult-like brand to the universal detriments of disposable clothing.