A 22-year-old university student, surnamed Lee, stood in front of the Brandy Melville store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, with a curious expression, saying, “I heard they only sell small (S) sizes, so I was curious to see if they would fit me.”
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The Italian women’s fashion brand sells most of its products in just one size – extra small (XS) or small (S), catering to slim body types. Since opening its first store in Korea on January 3, the brand has seen explosive popularity. Even on a weekday, the shop was packed with young women in their teens and twenties.
Brandy Melville defies conventional fashion marketing strategies. Instead of offering clothes that fit various body types, it promotes the idea that customers should fit into its clothes.
While the company claims its “one size fits most” approach, the reality is that only a limited number of people can wear them. The brand has often been described as catering exclusively to slim individuals or as a “size 44 brand”, a term in Korea for the smallest standard clothing size, roughly equivalent to an XS or US size 0-2.
Despite concerns, the “one size” strategy has been a commercial success. After opening its first US store in Los Angeles in 2009, Brandy Melville has expanded to over 100 locations worldwide within a decade.
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The brand’s vintage-style designs, reminiscent of teen movie protagonists, have particularly appealed to Generation Z – those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s. At one point, the “Brandy Melville Challenge”, where American teenagers tested whether they could fit into the brand’s clothes, became a social media trend.
