Can Everlane Become the Next J.Crew?

I am an Everlane fan (wearing one of their tees right now, actually), but I find their low/no-markup marketing message to be a turn-off.

For example, the shirt I'm wearing is $22, but they claim a comparable shirt costs $50. The reality is it feels like a $22 t-shirt. I know what to expect from a $50 t-shirt — almost always a $20 shirt with a $30 logo. Occasionally a $50+ t-shirt has something special going on (usually in the thickness/stitching), but the Everlane shirts are standard quality with a cut that fits me well. And the "comparable value" inflation of the women's clothing seems even worse.

The style is enough; would rather not be told I'm getting a special deal that I don't think I'm getting.

Liked this quote a lot:

"They have very thorough sizing information on their site and they treat customers really well," Ariella Major, a 25-year-old marketing associate and Everlane devotee, says. "Their marketing emails are very inviting and they send you really nice personal emails too. You can tell a thoughtful person wrote it."

A marketer praising the work of another marketer; "you can tell a thoughtful marketing intern wrote it!"

It's great to see ethics enter the equation, along with quality.

The constant focus on price alone is simply a race to zero, where the consumer wins initially but ultimately loses when quality is sacrificed to keep costs going down and margin up.

I first heard of Everlane when I saw an ad for their white t-shirts, which seemed to be their main (only?) product at the time. They were boasting about having the same quality as other brands, but for a much lower price.

The price, it turned out, was outrageous and hilarious[1], and I immediately decided Everlane was a brand for suckers.