There was a time when owning an Everlane tote defined who you were before you even opened your mouth. Wearing the tote, or any Everlane garment for that matter, meant you cared about ethical factories. You likely spent $128 on a pair of plain leather flats because boring meant timeless and timeless meant responsible. Back then, Everlane wasn’t really selling clothes as much as it was selling the idea that you could shop your way into being a better person. The brand hit at exactly the right moment too—peak 2010s millennial minimalism, when everyone was tired of fast fashion but still wanted the dopamine hit of buying something new.
Which is why the news that Shein is reportedly acquiring Everlane for $100 million feels bleak. Because if Everlane represented the dream that shopping could actually be ethical, Shein became the reality of what shopping turned into once social media fully took over our brains.
If we think back, the appeal of Everlane was restraint. Buying one good coat and wearing it for years. Meanwhile the internet moved toward hauls, dupes and overnight microtrends. In fact, thanks to TikTok, everyone had six aesthetics at once! Remember, coastal grandmother, mob wife, balletcore, and millennial pink? Nothing was meant to last because the next thing was already loading. And, once Zara, Amazon and eventually Shein could recreate the same vibe for a fraction of the price, the illusion started to crack.
