Looks like online is going offline, as popular internet clothing retailer Everlane has just opened up its first brick and mortar location here in New York City’s trendy Nolita neighborhood.
If you’re not familiar with Everlane, they’re the hot creators of high-quality, minimalist fashion items ranging from shoes and bags to various ready-to-wear items, typically keeping things super-simple with clean colors and even cleaner cuts. So clean, in fact, that many popular social influencers continuously take to Instagram to model off their wares. What’s more, most of their items are rather affordable when considering the cuts and quality you’re getting.
So what’s with the new store? Well, as Everlane founder Michael Preysman put it, “The original idea was that we would never do stores. But when you’re in the online-only world, you can’t bring people into your space and your brand the same way you can with a physical store, where it feels transparent, open, and honest. So we wanted to bring the brand to life and be part of people’s lives in a more meaningful way.”
And from the looks of it, they certainly have, as the new offline destination, like their online one, feels just as clean, with white walls, floors, and ceilings aligned with beige-accented shelves that neatly display their wares. And unlike the area’s many other trendy retailers, there’s plenty of natural light to help you actually see what it is you’re buying, not to mention try it on too.
Even Preysman admitted as much. “People do want to try things on,” he told Vogue in a recent interview. “Having them come in and touch the product and talk to employees makes such a difference.”
Indeed it does, and has already been paying off significantly in both sales and PR, as the opening of the new storefront has been making waves across the internet and social media. Whether those waves will keep up with the mainstay fast-fashion retailers lining up the streets just a few blocks away is yet to be seen. Either way though, it’s a win for local New Yorkers, and if all goes well, could soon be a win for other cities as well.
Photography by Naho Kubota for Everlane
