One-size-fits-all clothing shop Brandy Melville opens in downtown SLO
Downtown San Luis Obispo has a new clothing store — one known for its sometimes controversial marketing and business practices.
Brandy Melville, which shot to fame for its promise of “one size fits all” clothing targeted toward teens and college students, opened a new location at 840 Monterey St. over the weekend.
The opening occurred with little more notice than an Instagram post on the brand’s official account May 9 saying simply: “San Luis Obispo! See you tomorrow at 10 am.”
The crowds soon followed.
A bevy of TikTok videos cheekily captioned with some variation of “POV: When Brandy Melville opens in your college town” showed long lines at the downtown store through its opening days.
The fast-fashion store took over the prominent corner space at the corner of Chorro and Monterey streets vacated by Lululemon earlier this year as it moved a couple blocks over to Higuera Street.
It’s the first Brandy Melville to open in San Luis Obispo County. Prior to that, the nearest location was on State Street in Santa Barbara.
What is Brandy Melville?
Though the brand has its dedicated fans, it is also not without its controversy.
Founded by reclusive Italian businessman Silvio Marsan with his son in the early 1980s, the first United States Brandy Melville store opened in Los Angeles in 2009.
Promoting a California coastal aesthetic, the brand became popular among teens and young adults through social media, where it focuses the majority of its marketing efforts.
The 2024 documentary “Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion” explored concerns about some the company’s business practices, including allegations it discriminated against workers based on their appearance and exploited teenage girls in its marketing.
The brand has also faced criticism for its one-size policy, which opponents say excludes people of various sizes and body shapes, and for continuing to push fast-fashion in light of larger environmental concerns regarding the fashion industry.
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