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We rate Brandy Melville “We Avoid” for its lack of transparency. But if you’re into more affordable, preppy basics, what alternatives are there? Here are 13 more sustainable brands you’ll love instead.
Brandy Melville’s practices are sealed shut
Fast fashion chain Brandy Melville launched in Italy in the ‘80s, but its real popularity began when it hit the streets of LA in 2009. It now has millions of Instagram followers and an extensive range of cheap, trendy clothes and accessories for teen girls or anyone who loves a ’90s throwback. But is the brand ethical or sustainable?
Unfortunately, like other fast fashion brands, Brandy Melville isn’t hitting the mark for people, the planet, or animals. Brandy Melville receives our lowest possible score of “We Avoid” because it doesn’t disclose sufficient information about its environmental, labour, and animal welfare policies. You have a right to know how the products you buy affect the issues you care about, and we recommend steering clear of this one. What’s more, there have been some pretty shocking reports from Brandy Melville’s employees about its working culture in recent years, including allegations of racism, antisemitism, anti-fast bias, and assault.
So if you like Brandy Melville’s youthful, preppy vibe but would prefer to support brands doing better then keep reading—we’ve got some “Good” and “Great” alternatives to Brandy Melville that’ll tick the boxes.
A note on affordability
Good On You wants to help you find sustainable options no matter your budget. But we recognise that many sustainable brands appear more expensive upfront. That’s because more goes into a price tag than the cost of fabric. Fast fashion prices are often low because workers are not paid living wages and sustainable practices are not followed in production, as is the case with Brandy Melville.
Fast fashion has also distorted our view of clothing prices. We now spend much less and buy far more garments of a lower quality than we did a few decades ago. But when you take cost-per-wear into account, high quality items you’ll wear frequently will end up costing less in the long run despite the initial investment.
We aim to highlight the range of more affordable sustainable brands, but we also encourage you to seek out the most sustainable options that work for you. Sometimes this means shopping second-hand, and other times rediscovering and restyling what you already own.
