Teenage fashion label Brandy Melville to replace Rolex on what was the world’s most expensive shopping strip: Hong Kong’s Russell Street

High street label Brandy Melville is opening its second store in Hong Kong in a space previously operated by Rolex
The brand is popular with teens, although it has come under fire for only offering slim sizes and a lack of ethnic diversity

Fashion

Vincenzo La Torre

Published: 9:49am, 17 May 2021

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Brandy Melville, a preppy-inspired high-street label aimed at teenage girls that sells items such as US$18 floral tops and US$16 tank tops, is set to open a second outpost in Hong Kong on what was once the world’s most expensive bit of real estate in the world, luxury haven Russell Street.

The affordable brand will take over a space previously occupied by luxury watchmaker Rolex, which has moved to a smaller location shared with sister brand Tudor just down the street.

With tourism drying up in 2019 because of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, followed by Covid-19 travel bans in 2020, vacancies have been at a record high in Causeway Bay, which was once a mecca for luxury shoppers.

High-end brands such as Prada, La Perla and Kiehl’s have also shut their stores on Russell Street, which has become a shadow of its former thriving self.

Brandy Melville’s first Hong Kong Store is at IFC Mall in Central.

Teenage girls love Brandy Melville’s casual looks.

In recent months, a series of pop-up stores have been set up on the street, some of them selling cheap items such as phone cases and even condoms.

Meanwhile, in another sign of the changing nature of Russell Street, Five Guys, the popular burger chain, will open a store a stone throw’s away from the Brandy Melville outpost.

Canton Road overtakes Russell Street as region’s priciest shop rental market

Brandy Melville already operates a store in Hong Kong’s IFC Mall and is popular among teenage girls in Asia and around the world, thanks to its casual outfits.

Founded in the 80s in Italy, the company started its global operations in 2009, when it opened a shop in Los Angeles, California, a city that inspires the label’s carefree and sunny attitude.

The company has built a loyal customer base, thanks to its success on social media, where it has millions of followers, but it has also come under fire for its “one-size-fits-most” policy, which caters to slim girls, not to mention its Caucasian-centric branding that has been criticised for its lack of diversity.

Brandy Melville is so secretive that no representative has ever spoken on the record for the company and the identity of its CEO is not known.

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