A Wren Says

Everlane, a company, known for its sustainability claims, just sold to Shein, known for all things the opposite of sustainability. Others will have covered the ends and outs of this buyout in more depth, and this is the question:

Is this the beginning of the end? Are the end times upon us? Or at the very least, the end of sustainability as we know it?

Yes, it is. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

For some time, Everlane was criticized for being wishy washy and saying a whole lot of nothing. If the owners were serious about their commitment, they would have never shopped themselves to this particular fast fashion giant. But they did. Maybe I’m being pessimistic about this deal and Shein will do with this infrastructure. Maybe they will take these learnings and improve the pipeline in the other businesses. Or they’ll implement changes that essentially drive Everlane out of business because it will stray too far from what its core consumer really wants. Sorry, back at pessimism.

But for other brands, looking to cater to the environmentally conscious and sustainability-minded consumer, this is a boon. That type of consumer does her research. She will gravitate elsewhere. Those brands will lean into clear communication about their supply chains, they’ll educate the customers about the impact of their goods and the work they do in their communities.

And consumers, already wary of “big business”, will continue to satisfy their eco-friendly urges by shopping second hand. They’ll post about their thrift store finds and their Depop hauls. Maybe this is a boon for resale sites, too. Maybe this means we start move away from performative sustainability and towards real change. Real transparency. Real commitments. Real impact on people and systems.

What I want to land on is that Everlane is not the entire sector. The (foolish) choice of one brand does not mean that there is no one fighting for sustainability in fashion. It is still there; there’s just one fewer player.  

For more info on the sale, you can check out this article from Fast Company:

Segran, E. (May 18, 2026). Everlane is reportedly selling to Shein. The era of millennial optimism is officially over. Fast Company