Everlane is on its way to becoming one of America’s iconic fashion brands. It has strategically carved a niche for itself in a relatively short span of time. The fact that the brand has been able to achieve tremendous success, without the backing of advertising and no brick and mortar stores is even more impressive. Everlane churns out timeless, classic pieces on a regular basis to help consumers form a habit of building a wardrobe of basics which can be worn 10 years later too. Its policy is contrary to the ones of fast fashion brands like H&M and Forever 21. Fast fashion encourages their customers to make impulsive purchases of clothes that don’t last more than a year or two, owing to bad quality materials.
With humble beginnings, Everlane launched in 2011, after raising $1.1 million from investors. Its initial product was a simple and plain cotton tee. Everlane sells more than 200 different products like button-down shirts, V-neck sweaters, trousers in simple cuts, neutral colors and fabrics currently. One of the most differentiating factors of Everlane is its iron-clad stand on transparency. It provides customers a clear picture of how they make the clothes and accessories they sell. For example, Everlane charges $98 which it produces at $38, ($22.17 for materials, $12.39 for labor, $2.99 for duties). A similar dress would cost $190 if bought from a comparable retailer. The company also provides customers with pictures of the factory in China where the products are manufactured. Everlane has also cut down the cost of middlemen, by creating its design in-house and working directly with factories. Everlane is very cleverly adding the sustainability and ethics angle to their marketing efforts. The fact that customers know that their clothes are being manufactured in an ethical manner and are reasonably priced works like a charm on millennials. The brand doesn’t host any sales or discount periods. Everlane is forcing fast fashion brands like H&M and Forever 21 to consider the environment and employees conditions.
