Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Everlane was being acquired by Shein for $100 million. Everlane is built on the promises of “radical transparency” and sustainability; Shein, on the other hand, is the epitome of fast fashion.

The Everlane-to-Shein pipeline exposes the limits of ethical consumption under capitalism. It highlights the contradictions inherent to sustainable fashion: true sustainability would require people to buy less, but businesses and investors depend on constant growth.

In this episode, I unpack how Everlane became symbolic of a very specific 2010s cultural moment, shaped by Obama-era optimism, in which consumers believed brands could create social change through “better” purchasing decisions. But in today’s more politically cynical climate, many sustainable brands are struggling to survive. What happens when brands built around ethics are forced to survive amidst the pressures of constant growth?

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