As the dirty secrets behind the world’s biggest high street fashion brands continue to be laid bare in a series of high-profile true crime documentaries, a new film about cult teen fashion brand Brandy Melville is shedding light on the disturbing realities behind the controversial teen label.
Unlike previous documentaries, including Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons, The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch and American Apparel’s Big Rad Wolf, which focused on the brand’s dark pasts, Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion exposes the racism, rampant discrimination, sexual exploitation and antisemitism happening behind the scenes at the company today.
In the HBO documentary, Oscar-winning director Eva Orna reveals the toxic culture behind the fast fashion brand, with the help of reporting by Business Insider’s Kate Taylor. Since the 2010s, CEO Stephan Marsen has promoted the label’s “It-girl” California-inspired affordable fashion to teens, with the company notoriously selling its clothes in only one size (usually XS or S).
The documentary, however, highlights a much darker underbelly of abuse behind the flirty feminine façade. Featuring former employees, a previous senior vice president and a former store owner, the documentary alleges illegal work practices, with white employees at the front of the store and people of colour sent to the back, while a company-wide group chat was allegedly full of racist, misogynistic and antisemitic abuse.
The filmmakers also visit Prato in Tuscany, where Brandy Melville produces its garments, and find Chinese immigrant staffers sewing its clothes in sweatshops. Currently streaming online in the US, here’s where you can watch it, and everything we know so far about the UK air date.
Where to watch the Brandy Melville documentary in the UK
The Brandy Melville documentary has just received a release date in the UK, and it will be available to watch on Sky and its sister streaming service Now on Wednesday 1 May. The documentary will air on Sky Documentaries, before coming to Sky Go and Now.
If you’re not currently a Sky Q, Sky Glass or Sky Stream customer, the Sky Stream box is currently on sale (was £28 per month, now £26 per month, Sky.com).
Where to watch the Brandy Melville documentary in the US
Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion is an HBO original documentary. The documentary the premiered in the US on 9 April 2024. It is currently streaming on Max. A subscription to Max starts from $9.99 per month or $99.99 for an annual plan. If you’re not already a Max subscriber, you can add a Max subscription to your Amazon Prime account.
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