If you’re young and trendy, or you like clothes that appeal to the young and trendy, you probably know Brandy Melville already. This brand is known for casual, hip fashion that’s very modern and a little sexy, comfortable and easy to wear. This is everyday clothing and it’s affordable fashion. But the controversy associated with Brandy Melville could have you searching for brands similar to Brandy Melville that will provide you with fashion without the complications. What’s really going on with this brand and which other brands can you be wearing instead?
FYI, thanks to AI imagery software, we’re able to create very specific fashion and hairstyle examples to illustrate the points being made. In some cases, imagery is exaggerated to hammer home the point.
Who Is Brandy Melville?
The story of the Brandy Melville brand starts with a love story. It tells about how an American girl named Brandy came to Rome and met a British man named Melville. The two fell in love on the romantic streets of Italy, probably while looking at ancient ruins, enjoying fancy frozen treats and eating pizza.
Romantic, right? The thing is, it’s fake. The love story and history of the Brandy Melville label is all just marketing. In reality, this brand was started by Italian businessman Silvio Marsan and his son, Stephan Marsan.
Their goal was to sell clothing and accessories to teen girls and young women. Specifically, they wanted to sell European-like fashions to American buyers. Building the brand around a love story that would appeal to women and bring together the ideas of American-European style was a smart marking decision. The fact that the story isn’t true did not stop Brandy Melville’s path to success.
Brandy Melville built the brand and the marketing around the idea of appealing to young women. The first Brandy Melville store opened near the UCLA campus in California in 2009. Nearly 100 Brandy Melville stores has been built by 2015. Brandy Melville hires 15-year-olds for its product research team and heavily relies on social media for most of its marketing, appealing directly to the young customers it seeks to target.
What’s Wrong With Brandy Melville?
The name Brandy Melville is quite well known in the fashion world…but not for all good reasons. Brandy Melville is popular for its trendy, casual, fun, somewhat sexy clothing looks and its way of capturing a 1990s style vibe. But the brand is unpopular for a particular quirk that many customers find distressing: no size options.
Most of the styles at Brandy Melville are made in one size and one size only. If the item doesn’t fit you, too bad. You’ll have to look for something else. And the problem with that is, the size at Brandy Melville is tiny. If you are rather thin with a slim build, you can wear lots of the fashions here. If you’re curvy or shapely or perhaps short, you won’t find much that fits you well at Brandy Melville. For some, shopping this brand is an upsetting experience.
A few items have a couple of different sizes but most items do not. And most often, the existing size options run in the small, S, or extra small, XS, range. Many customers have complained about Brandy Melville’s lack of size options and the fact that the entire brand seems to be geared toward thin body types, which excludes people of all other shapes and sizes.
The brand has come under fire for what some have called silent fat-shaming by providing only clothing for smaller bodies. Some have even accused the brand of encouraging body dysmorphia in young women as a result of its sizing practices.
The idea behind the brand’s one-size-fits-some approach is that it’s extremely easy to shop at Brandy Melville. Something either fits or it doesn’t and you don’t have to try on a bunch of the same T-shirt in a few different sizes just to find the one that works. People get to spend more time shopping, less time trying clothing on. Meanwhile, the brand can spend less on manufacturing costs because multiple patterns for the same item don’t need to be used to create different sizes.
However, it is difficult to find clothing that fits well at Brandy Melville, particularly if you’re outside the brand’s clear aesthetic. There are brands similar to Brandy Melville that offer similar trendy styles but that also provide those styles in multiple sizes and in designs that will suit a curvier shape.
Finding Brands Similar to Brandy Melville
Along with trendy clothes in all the latest styles, Brandy Melville sells accessories to go with all those outfits, including jewelry, bags, belts, hats, even socks and stuff for your hair. You can also get olive oil here, a nod to the brand’s Italian roots.
However, there are brands similar to Brandy Melville that can give you the same style and items you like…well, minus the olive oil.
H&M (Similar Pricing)
If affordable fashion is your thing, H&M is one of your brands. H&M specializes in hot, trendy fashion at prices that totally reasonable, the same mission statement that seems to drive the Brandy Melville brand. H&M has everything you might want to wear right now. The catalog is full of seasonable offerings that match the weather, style and trendy colors of the current moment, much like the clothing from Brandy Melville.
Unlike Brandy Melville, H&M strives to appeal to a huge buying audience. The brand carries clothing for women in all sizes, along with clothing for men, kids and babies. They even make items for the home. H&M is a highly accessible brand, with pricing that is similar to what you can find at Brandy Melville. Both brands also appeal to young, fashionable people who like keeping up with the trends.
If you like trendy clothing in great colors and the latest styles but you want those clothes to fit well and you want lots of options for accessories and fashion, you will find lots to like at H&M.
Honest Basics (Similar Pricing)
The name of this brand says it all. Honest Basics makes simple, casual clothing in an extremely limited color range (black, white, cream and deep blue). This clothing is casual, comfortable and effortless. If that’s your style, Honest Basics is definitely your brand.
These are not trendy clothes. Honest Basics built its band on staples and classic silhouettes. Simple, elegant items fill up the catalog that includes plenty of pretty knits, adjustable-strap tank tops, cute cop tops and figure-flattering T-shirts. Like Brandy Melville, Honest Basics appeals to teens and young women. This brand also carries clothing for men, something Brandy Melville doesn’t do.
If simple everyday fashion that feels good is your thing, Honest Basics should be on your radar. The pricing here is similar to what you’ll find at Brandy Melville, so you can spend around the same amount of money buying similar items under each label.
Juliet Johnstone (More Expensive)
If you’re almost too cool for fashion, the artistic clothing under the Juliet Johnstone label is going to appeal to you. The clothes here stand out for their highly graphic, artistic designs. The jeans, tanks, T-shirts, hoodies and pants here are bright colors and highly decorated. This brand definitely appeals to young, fashionable girls and women, just like Brandy Melville.
Like Brandy Melville, Juliet Johnstone does not have a lot of different sizes and primarily fits slimmer body types. Juliet Johnstone is a fashion brand and unlike Brandy Melville, items are limited. While Brandy Melville produces a lot of fashion for everyone to buy, Juliet Johnstone makes one-of-a-kind designs based on her own artworks. These items are limited and once they’re bought and sold, they’re gone.
Because of the exclusivity and the artistic designs, Juliet Johnstone clothing is more expensive than similar items you can buy at Brandy Melville. If you like your trendy fashion to look like high fashion, you will like Juliet Johnstone.
Los Angeles Apparel (More Expensive)
Like Brandy Melville, Los Angeles Apparel creates young, trendy clothing for young, trendy buyers. Come here for all the casual looks you want, from cute crop tops to mid-length velour tracksuits to clingy tanks and comfy T-shirts. This is casual, fashionable clothing at its best in a huge array of different colors.
Unlike Brandy Mellville, Los Angeles Apparel offers a small selection of different size options. This brand also makes clothing for men ad children and has an entire line of unisex clothing to appeal to anyone. The pricing here is just a little bit more expensive than Brandy Melville, though it definitely still falls into the category of affordable, accessible style.
If you like the trendy, everyday, casual look of Brandy Melville, you will probably like wearing clothing from Los Angeles Apparel.
Lulu’s (More Expensive)
Lulu’s focuses more on semi-formal, formal and professional looks, rather than the casual fashion you can find at Brandy Melville. However, Lulu’s emphasizes trendy style, just like Brandy Melville. You can find the latest looks in fashion here.
Lulu’s is so dedicated to its more chic, sleek design aesthetic that you can’t even buy T-shirts here. This is a place to buy blouses, not T-shirts. But if you’re looking for professional clothing or more semi-formal and formal styles, Lulu’s is just where you ought to look.
This brand also has a huge selection of accessories and shoes. You can even find wedding attire here. Lulu’s is slightly more expensive, on average, than Brandy Melville but not by much. This brand still offers affordable fashion, just like brandy Melville, and creates accessible designs that anyone can wear.
Romwe (Similar Pricing)
Cute, casual, sexy fashion that’s super on-trend? You can find it at Brandy Melville but you can also find it at Romwe. This brand specializes in youthful, trendy casual fashion of all types and they sell in a big range of colors, along with a huge selection of jewelry, bags, shoes and accessories.
Romwe sells a huge range of lifestyle products as well, including home items, makeup, electronic accessories and even pet stuff. The fashion here is similar to randy Melville and so is the pricing. Romwe provides affordable fashion and, like Brandy Melville, does so in a rather limited range of sizes. On average, the clothing here ranges from small sizes to slightly more medium sizes. Don’t expect to find a lot of plus-size options here.
Romwe sells fashion that’s similar to Brandy Melville and the pricing here is similar as well. If you like the trendy and somewhat sexy clothing at Brandy Melville and you have a slim-to-average body type, you will find lots to love at Romwe.
RoseGal (Similar Pricing)
The RoseGal brand markets itself as “affordable original designs.” You can come here to find trendy, fashionable looks that don’t quite look like everything else out there. These designs truly are original and create a distinct look that’s purely the RoseGal brand. You can also come here to find plus-sized clothing that looks trendy and fashionable. This clothing is made for larger body types, until the many brands that are geared toward smaller bodies.
There’s a definite vintage feel to RoseGal designs but with a modern twist. These designs have a figure-flattering fit. You’ll see lots of cinched waists and flaring hips, scoop and cowl necklines and bold color patterns. RoseGal pricing is similar to Brandy Melville, so you can spend about the same amount at either brand.
ShowPo (More Expensive)
If you want stylish fashion that matches all the newest trends, you want to start shopping at ShowPo. Like Brandy Melville, this label makes styles for young women who want to look their best. This brand makes clothing of all types, from casual to formal wear, with plenty of styles for professional wear.
ShowPo makes clothing in a big range of sizes to suit all different body types, which certainly sets it apart from Brandy Melville. You can find lots of vibrant colors and cutting-edge fashion here. There are a lot of bold patterns, ruffles, and cool embellishments that make these styles stand out.
ShowPo is a little more expensive, on average, than Brandy Melville However, this difference in pricing is small.
Storets (More Expensive)
The looks at Storets are sophisticated and highly trendy with plenty of sex appeal, a design style that this rand has in common with Brandy Melville. However, Storets fashion is decidedly high-fashion, rather than casual, with looks that are suitable for nights out and looking professional during the day.
Storets create looks in vivid colors and classic patterns based on whatever is stylish and trendy in the moment. The catalog features a lot of different textures. Soft knits, glossy vinyl and twill weaves are everywhere.
The pricing at Storets is slightly more expensive than what you’ll find at Brandy Melville because Storets maintains a more high-end, designer look., However, this fashion is still highly affordable. In other words, you don’t have to pay a designer price. If you like the look of high fashion and trendy style, you’ll like what you find at Storets.
Toad&Co (More Expensive)
Classic, casual and comfortable style are at the heart of Toad&Co’s product catalog. This brand has clothing of all types here, as long as it’s casual and classic. You can even get underwear here, not to mention all the accessories you might want to wear.
Toad&Co makes a lot of soft knits in comfy designs. This label is all about classic style, rather than the trendiest looks. But like Brandy Melville, Toad&Co focuses on casual, everyday style. Toad&Co also makes a whole range of menswear.
The pricing at Road&Co is more expensive than the clothing you will find at Brandy Melville. Toad&Co puts a lot of time and effort into sustainability features and uses materials such as hemp, organic cotton, vegan materials and recycled fibers. This extra effort translates into a higher cost.
UNIF (More Expensive)
UNIF, like Brandy Melville, sells fashion for young, trendy girls and women who want to wear the latest styles. If it’s cool and in style, you can find it at UNIF. This brand also sells accessories to go along with all its casual fashion, something else UNIF has in common with Brandy Melville.
UNIF carries fashion in a range of sizes. The pricing here is somewhat more expensive than the cost of similar items at Brandy Melville. UNIF provides a wider range of fashions in a wider range of sizes, which costs a little more than the one-size approach used by Brady Melville to keep clothing highly affordable.
Urban Outfitters (More Expensive)
Urban Outfitters is synonymous with hip, trendy fashion. This brand is known for having the very latest styles for younger buyers. Urban Outfitters is also known for having a huge selection of items, including home goods, beauty products, men’s clothing and more.
Unlike Brandy Melville, Urban Outfitters strives to be included. The clothing here comes in a wide range of styles. The clothing here is a little more expensive than what you’ll find at Brandy Melville because Urban Outfitters is a highly recognizable and trusted brand that is known for producing quality clothing. You often pay a little more for known brand labels.
Zaful (Similar Pricing)
What are the styles people are wearing? Go to Zaful and you’ll find out right away. Zaful maintains an absolutely huge project line featuring all the latest fashions and trends in casual style. You can find it all here, from denim to hoodies to matching outfits to any other causal item of clothing you might want to wear.
Zaful, like Brandy Melville, focuses on maintaining a product line of the trendiest and latest looks in affordable casual fashion. Zaful also carries shoes, bags and swimwear. If you like having a big selection of trendy styles at highly accessible prices, just like Brandy Melville, you will want to add Zaful to your shopping rotation.
The clothes here come in a small range of sizes that suit most slim to average body types. Like Brandy Melville, this clothing is not available in a huge range of sizes to fit every body.
Wearing Brands Similar to Brandy Melville
There are many brands similar to Brady Melville that can provide some extra or different options. If you like Brandy Melville but need better size options, or you like casual fashion but want something a little more professional, if you’re looking for clothing that has a more high-end appearance, there are brands similar to Brandy Melville that perfectly fit your needs. Explore other brands and experiment with all sorts of different fashions and learn how to find the exact styles you want.
FAQs
Fashion is pretty tricky stuff. This is why so many people build entire careers around understanding and creating style. If you still have questions about Brandy Melville and similar brands, no problem. We found the most frequently asked questions about Brandy Melville and got the answers, so you know what you need to know about wearing this brand and staying on top of trendy style at all times.
Can Brandy Melville jewelry get wet?
Brandy Melville sells a large selection of jewelry to complement the outfits you buy here. The jewelry ranges from popular classics, like hoop earrings of all sizes, to the latest fads in jewelry fashion.
A lot of the jewelry at Brandy Melville is described as “lead, nickel, and cadmium compliant.” This means that these three metals are present in the jewelry and that the amount of these metals in the jewelry is within human safety standards as far as skin contact is concerned. Swallowing this jewelry, on the other hand, could be dangerous, particularly for babies and young children.
Because Brandy Melville jewelry is not made with rustproof metals, reviewers have stated that they have noticed tarnishing and rusting on some jewelry from the brand. Brandy Melville jewelry is made with metal and it can get wet. However, it can be subject to rust and discoloration if this happens. It’s best to take our jewelry off before you bathe or swim and avoid getting jewelry wet when possible.
How do you get the right size in Brandy Melville clothes?
Brandy Melville is rather famous, or actually infamous, for its sizing. Mos clothing here comes in just one size, meaning every style has only one size. A few items may have a couple of different sizes but for the most part, you only have one option when you shop here.
Many of the clothes here are made to fit slimmer body types. Unless you already fit this mold, you may have a difficult time finding Brandy Melville clothing that fits.
Where are Brandy Melville clothes made?
Brandy Melville clothing is made in Italy and China. The business is based in Italy, like its two founders, and some manufacturing is outsourced to Chinese factories.
Why is Brandy Melville so affordable?
Brandy Melville, like some other similar brands, is a “fast fashion” brand. This means that it introduces styles on a seasonal basis, offering up designs that reflect the latest fashion trends on a regular basis. Clothing is designed and made quickly so it can get to stores quickly, sell quickly and then fall out of style and be disposed of rather quickly, too.
This is how Brandy Melville and brands similar to Brandy Melville keep prices affordable. They make clothing and profits quickly, a neverending and fast-moving cycle that creates a constant influx of revenue. Other popular fast fashion brands that focus on young, trendy fashion include H&M, Zara and the Gap.
There is nothing wrong with purchasing affordable fashion and many of social media’s most popular influencers have been seen in Brandy Melville and similar brands. However, some have criticized fast fashion brands like Brandy Melville because they are associated with high pollution and waste, problems that have plagued the fashion industry and drawn fire from environmentalist groups. Fast fashion is also generally associated with sweatshop-type factories where employees work in unsafe conditions for low wages and long hours.
Sources:
The Cut – The Secret Shame of Wearing Brandy Melville
Investopedia – Fast Fashion Explained and How It Impacts Retail Manufacturing
Racked – Smells Like Teen Spirit: Inside the Secretive World of Brandy Melville
Who What Wear – 7 Stores You’ll Love If You Can’t Get Enough of Brandy Melville