Who Is Stephan Marsan? Brandy Melville CEO Accused Of Bigotry

Tracking allegations of racism, antisemitism, discriminatory employment practices and other misconduct involving Brandy Melville CEO Stephan Marsan and the company’s senior leadership, which were detailed in a 2021 investigation and the 2024 HBO documentary Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion.

Former Employees Alleged Brandy Melville Favored Thin White Women When Hiring. Former workers and executives described an employment culture in which applicants who fit a thin, white and conventionally attractive image were favored for jobs and customer-facing positions. One former regional manager described the hiring standard as essentially looking for girls who were skinny, white, blonde and pretty. [EL PAÍS]

A Former Executive Alleged Marsan Ordered Black And Overweight Employees Removed From Stores. Former senior vice president Luca Rotondo alleged that Marsan did not want Black employees or workers he considered overweight in Brandy Melville stores and directed managers to fire employees who did not fit his preferred image. These are allegations from former employees; Brandy Melville’s U.S. operating company denied that it had ever fired an employee because of race. [PEOPLE]

Employees Of Color Were Allegedly Relegated To Less Visible Jobs. Former employees alleged that white workers were favored for prominent sales-floor positions while Black employees and other workers of color were more likely to be assigned to stockrooms, night shifts or other less visible roles. [PEOPLE]

Marsan And Other Executives Were Accused Of Participating In A Group Chat Filled With Racist And Antisemitic Material. A 2021 investigation obtained more than 150 screenshots from a group chat called “Brandy Melville Gags” that reportedly included Marsan, his brother and other senior company figures. The messages included racist jokes, use of the N-word, pornography and repeated references to Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. [THE INDEPENDENT]

The Executive Group Chat Reportedly Mentioned Hitler 24 Times. Of the more than 150 screenshots reviewed in the original investigation, Hitler reportedly appeared or was referenced 24 times, illustrating how frequently Nazi and Holocaust material circulated among members of the company leadership chat. [DAILY BEAST]

An Image Allegedly Showed Marsan’s Head Photoshopped Onto Adolf Hitler’s Body. Among the offensive material attributed to the group chat was a manipulated image depicting Marsan as Hitler. Reporting on the original investigation said Marsan allegedly created the image himself. [BRITISH VOGUE]

The Group Chat Included A “Miss Auschwitz, 1943” Image. Another image shown in reporting and the HBO documentary depicted an emaciated woman wearing a sash reading “Miss Auschwitz, 1943,” one of several examples cited in allegations that antisemitic humor circulated among Brandy Melville executives. [BRITISH VOGUE]

Former Canadian Operators Said They Were Punished For Refusing To Follow Discriminatory Practices. Former Brandy Melville Canadian operators Franco Sorgi and Paolo Simeone sued the company, alleging their business relationship was terminated after they resisted discriminatory hiring and employment directives. The dispute included allegations that executives wanted an Ontario store closed because too many customers were people of color. [PEOPLE]

A Canadian Store Was Allegedly Targeted Because Its Customers Were Predominantly Indian And Other People Of Color. Former company figures alleged that executives objected to the clientele at Brandy Melville’s Square One location in Ontario because many shoppers were Indian or darker-skinned. Court allegations quoted Marsan’s brother Yvan describing the clientele as “ghetto” while demanding that the location be closed. [THE INDEPENDENT]

Former Executive Luca Rotondo Sued After Allegedly Refusing To Carry Out Discriminatory Firings. Rotondo alleged that he resisted instructions to fire employees based on race or appearance and that his compensation was subsequently cut before he was terminated. Bastiat USA denied that it had fired employees because of race and disputed Rotondo’s explanation for his pay reduction. [PEOPLE]

Marsan Allegedly Personally Approved Employees Based On Their Appearance. Former employees said managers were required to send photographs of workers to Marsan and that hiring and firing decisions could depend on whether he approved of how an employee looked. A former senior executive said Marsan would respond to photographs of workers he disliked with instructions to fire them. [THE INDEPENDENT]

Employees Alleged They Were Required To Send Full-Body, Chest And Foot Photographs To Management. Former employees said routine “store style” photographs evolved into demands for images that included workers’ chests and feet, with the pictures ultimately being sent to Marsan. One former worker said she discovered Marsan had retained a folder containing photographs she had submitted over the years. [BRITISH VOGUE]

Brandy Melville’s Appearance Standards Were Linked To Body-Shaming Allegations. Former employees interviewed for Brandy Hellville described pressure to remain thin enough to fit the company’s “one size fits most” clothing and discussed struggles with eating disorders and body dysmorphia while working for the retailer. [TIME]

Marsan Declined To Address The Allegations In The HBO Documentary. Marsan did not participate in Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion, and Brandy Melville did not provide the filmmakers with a response to the allegations presented in the documentary. Marsan also declined requests for comment from other outlets covering the controversy. [PEOPLE]

The HBO Documentary Renewed Scrutiny Of Marsan While He Remained In Charge Of Brandy Melville. Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion brought the racism, antisemitism, discriminatory hiring and workplace allegations to a wider audience in 2024. Despite the earlier exposé, lawsuits and backlash, Marsan remained Brandy Melville’s CEO when the documentary was released. [PEOPLE]

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