Jul 19

Jul 19 Everlane Brand Overview

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Everlane Double Lined Silk V Neck Cami | Everlane Kick Crop Denim | Madewell Cotton Bandana | Kendra Scott Denise Earrings | Marc Fisher Annie Wedges | Lawless Creamy Matte Lipstick in Jake | Natalie Wood Designs Classic Quartz bracelet and beaded bracelet in silver

First of all, don't you worry about missing out on my Cali travel guides because of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale - I haven't forgotten about them...just put them on pause;) I've tried to break it up and not just be "nsale, nsale, nsale", but it launches tomorrow for general access, so yes I will be covering it again on Friday. BUT today I will be giving you a break and talking about a brand I'm currently kinda in love with. a lot. Side note -the whole point of me referencing California, was that these pics were taken in Paso Robles, a couple weeks ago. I'll tell you more about Paso Robles and the central coast wine territory later. Today let's talk about Everlane!

I had seen Everlane before, but didn't pay much attention to him until Rebecca of Beckley Co talked about them nonstop + their "magic pants" (I'm wearing them here and here). And yes their wide leg crops are magical, but honestly their entire line is great. Sure their clothes are great quality and timeless, but honestly it's their whole brand and mantra of transparency that makes them superb.

Everlane's mission is: exception quality, ethical factories, and radical transparency. I think these are all things that people WANT, but maybe they just don't know. I work in wholesale as my 9-5 job and you know there are certain countries we do not produce in and certain companies we don't partner with, because of their business practices or lack there of. A good example is Bangladesh. The easiest way I can explain it is that their government doesn't set regulations on work safety and stuff like that. This all came to a head back in 2012 when the Dhaka fire occurred and over 100 people lost their life in the Tazreen Fashion Factory. Another example is Pakistan. They are most known for their ability to produce cheap fleece, but again, at the cost of their workers. So again...like I mentioned I feel like people don't want to support places that treat their workers poorly or have bad best practices, but besides not knowing the consequences of certain locations, another factor is price. People don't want to pay more. At work one of our factories is the only living wage factory in the world and guess what? The price of a shirt is around 200% more when buying it from the living wage factory.

I can go on all day about where things are made and pricing...it's literally what I do, BUT let's get back to Everlane. They literally tell you everything...where the product was made, which specific factory (they require A and 90+ ratings on all factories), and cost of goods sold. So one of their t-shirts costs $15 retail. The entire shirt cost them $7 ($1.75 for materials, .62 for hardware, 3.05 for labor, .89 in duties, and .3 in freight). Where they sell it for $15, a traditional retailer would sell it for $35. Now... retailers aren't THAT greedy, but they are greedy ;) What I mean is that most of the time there is a middle man, meaning people have to wholesale their product to a retailer. If Everlane didn't produce and retail the shirt themselves, they would have to wholesale the tee for $15, and then the retailer would mark it up to around $30. Did I lose you in that math? (lol) Bottom line is that they cut out cost by retailing it themselves, in addition to not trying to pad the margin on their items. They are just doing the whole apparel thing better and smarter, I'm telling ya.

Let's talk about quality now, because you know that's important to me. I want to be able to wear something for a long time, meaning it needs to be classic and good quality. Everlane fits this bill in all aspects. They focus on timeless and exceptional quality. I was talking with some friends at church on Sunday and was explaining that when Nick and I started dating, I taught him to get 2 pair of dress shoes, because he wore the tar out of his. You can wear a pair to death and throw them away, or you can get two pair and alternate them, and get them re-soled/re-heeled, when you need to! My point is that if you wear anything too frequently or are too hard on it, it's going to wear faster. Treat your clothes well, and they'll last you a while! And while you're at it, go ahead and check where it's made ;)

Have you ever tried Everlane? If you have, any faves? Right now the wide leg crops are still my go-to!

P.S. if you liked this post, you'll probably enjoy my post on The Ethics of Fashion ft. Ankura!