Everlane's Founder Doesn't 'Totally Know' What He's Doing

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What can a fashion company learn from a tech company? Plenty. As part of its Fashion x Tech Week features, Style.com took a look at the business model of Everlane, the online-only clothing brand that launched in 2011.

With sales figures that grew a reported 200 percent from 2013 to 2014, the company is headquartered in the tech-filled streets of San Francisco. Founder Michael Preysman even modeled his office to look like a tech brand's space. "It's a totally open floor plan. We wanted to create a very collaborative environment," he told Style.com. "Tech companies have a pretty relaxed structure, and we try to do the same."

When starting the line, Preysman and his team leaned heavily on social media to communicate the brand's message of "non-elitist" fashion and transparent methods for pricing and production. (Needless to say, this warmed Norm hearts everywhere.) "We push transparency and education, and we push them both as a part of our products," Preysman said.

Preysman has recently teamed up with Postmates, an on-demand delivery app that lets users order up clothing via Smartphones. "Lifestyle encompasses tech at this point because everyone is on their phones all the time and doing things on their phones,Preysman said. "I think we think of ourselves as incredibly tech-enabled. It's definitely what we are always thinking about."

Still, the entrepreneur admits he has a thing or two to learn, and staying open-minded is perhaps key to his success. "It's tough to totally follow our model because we don't totally know what we are doing," Preysman said. "What I know is that we have a combo of design and tech that is pretty rare. We do design really well and care a lot about it." Read the rest of the interview here.
· How Everlane Succeeded in Fashion by Acting Like a Tech Company [Style.com]
· All Everlane Posts [Racked National]
· Everlane [Official Site]