Shein acquiring Everlane feels like the end of the millennial sustainable fashion dream

• Millennial fashion darling Everlane was acquired by fast-fashion giant Shein.
• The news surprised loyal customers focused on Everlane’s ethical consumption and quality.
• It’s just one more nail in the coffin for millennial brands.

<h2>The end of a millennial-coded sustainable fashion era</h2>Olivia Lobo, a stay-at-home mother and Gen Z/millennial cusper in Florida, is grappling with what she sees as<strong> </strong>the loss of her staple brand.

“I care a lot about ethical consumption and the environmental and social impacts of my purchases, but I’m also on a limited budget,” she said.

Lobo, who considers herself a thoughtful consumer, usually ponders most purchases for months and researches clothing companies before pulling the trigger. She loved Everlane because of its ethics and price point. Now, though, she said she won’t be purchasing from them. Instead, she’ll spend more time scouring online resale groups, rather than fast-fashion-filled thrift stores, for higher-quality pieces.

“I don’t love how much time it takes to find items that work for me this way, or the environmental impacts of the shipping involved, but it’s starting to feel like the only way I can realistically get good quality, non-toxic clothes within my budget,” Lobo said.

Darcy, a retiree who’s been shopping at Everlane for the past three or four years, had just bought a couple of tops. She learned about the store through her adult children and enjoys the quality and price of the clothing. She hadn’t heard about the sale; she said she would keep an eye on the brand and that the sale might affect her willingness to shop there. She joked that she was glad she bought her shirts that day.

“I should have bought them yesterday!” Darcy said.

Julia Kupiec, a Xillennial lawyer and artist, said she’d been shopping at the store since around the pandemic. She’s a big fan of their t-shirts and chinos, and thinks that their basics are well-priced. As an embroiderer, she’s always on the hunt for pieces she can embellish, and Everlane can be a good fit for that. Kupiec had not heard news of the sale and said it made her not want to shop the brand anymore.

“I would also be very on the alert for their quality going down,” Kupiec said. “I feel like usually when companies like this merge, their quality goes into the toilet.”

Farah Naguib, a Gen Z shopper, was admiring some of the brand’s flats and loafers in the store with her sister. She thought the quality of the shoes seemed nice and liked the shirts she saw. She also hadn’t heard news of the sale; when I informed the sister duo of the sale, they asked if the brand had been offloaded to private equity. At the news that it was reportedly Shein, they gasped.

“I work in climate sustainability,” Naguib said. “I don’t like fast fashion, which is also why I don’t buy a lot of things. Oh my gosh, that’s so sad.”