Everlane Cashmere Crew | $100 (available in 8 colors)
(I LOVE this ivory color – so fresh and pretty)
Everlane’s launching their new season cashmere next week but today they’ve introduced their $100 cashmere crew. A letter from the founder & CEO:
We all know that cashmere is expensive. It’s one of the most premium fibers on the market. But here’s a secret: the cost of raw cashmere fluctuates wildly.
Sometimes it goes up. And when it does retailers raise their prices. Sometimes it goes down. But when that happens, retailers almost never lower their prices. They just keep the extra profit. That’s not honest.
We’re doing something different. Due to a slowdown in the luxury market, the cost of cashmere has dropped 16 percent so we’ve lowered our prices to pass those savings on to you.
Last year our cashmere crew was $125. Today it’s $100.
That’s our commitment. That’s what we mean by Radical Transparency.
Michael Preysman
Founder & CEO, Everlane
Impressive. Transparent. And still up-ending the fashion industry. Of all Everlane’s products, their cashmere is my favorite; the price point is excellent, the quality very good, and it absolutely stands the test of time/wear.
I do wonder why not ALL the cashmere, why only the cashmere crew? But I’m not going to push that very far. It’s a brilliant marketing move, if nothing else, but also a good way to get a basic cashmere sweater down to a more reasonable price for non-luxury buyers.
What do you think? Will you bite?
I have lots of Everlane cashmere, and like I said, it’s my favorite of all their products. I wear the cashmere cardigans constantly, and I can’t wait to wear the cropped cashmere I bought last year and the long cashmere turtleneck as it cools off. Initially, the cashmere can feel a little itchy, but it softens up over time with wear and washing (I wash my cashmere with the Laundress wool & cashmere shampoo and lay it flat to dry). It does pill/shed a bit, but that is normal for cashmere. I find it a nice medium-weight, and of a quality comparable to Inhabit.
The new cashmere collection launches next week, and I’ve had a little peek at some of the pieces (and have a couple on the way to review) and I can tell you it looks pretty good. A couple of nice, modern styles, and best of all, CASHMERE SWEATPANTS. HELLO!!!!
Cashmere sweatpants? HELLO. Hope they are well priced, but oh yes – and what a GREAT present to give for the holidays!
they are very well priced – compared to other brands. AHEM. James Perse.
of course, i have no idea how they will fit, etc. but i think i’ll be able to let you know on launch day 🙂
Please please tell me hey are bringing the cropped crew back. It’s my favorite sweater of all time and I need more colors!
I don’t see a $100 cashmere sweater as a good thing. The increasing demand for cashmere has led to increasing cashmere herds which in turn is turning the grasslands they need to survive into dessert lands. Mongolia has been hit hard and if China put restrictions on farmers acreage to try help reduce the stripping of grass lands, it must be bad! More cashmere is available today–but the quality has suffered as a result.
In trying to make ethical choices in regard to my clothing purchases, I have to ask myself not just where an article of clothing was produced, but how the fiber made it to market. I love cashmere and wool–but I’m asking myself this year do I really need another cashmere sweater….or would it be better to treat a cashmere sweater as the luxury item it is and have fewer to enjoy and treat as something special in my wardrobe. Just my thoughts, not intended to rain on everyone’s excitement! ?
Excellent points all debi. And I agree with you mostly. More later when I can type on an actual keyboard 😉
i think i’m going to do a full post on the sustainability of cashmere, vs. alpaca vs wool, & pricepoint, etc. rather than address that here.
but you’re right about the pricepoint generally – it was “cheaper” cashmere that was a factor in the depletion of the grasslands in mongolia, and the more expensive something is, the less we tend to have of it. and maybe the less we SHOULD have of it. i am certainly guilty of having a lot of cashmere because it’s relatively more affordable now via everlane. i do wear the heck out of it, and when i’m finished pass it on to my sister, who loves it too. so there’s that…
I struggle, too. I love the feel (so soft!) but worry about the ethics and sustainability of cashmere (Debi’s points, and also animal treatment), and for the cost point, I’ve not enjoyed the first piece of Everlane cashmere I bought (second edition cardigan). It fit poorly, pilled terribly, and had holes after 6 months of normal wearing. I did just buy a vneck sweater (first edition) via Poshmark and so far am finding the quality to be so much better. But won’t know until I know.
I just struggle to pay $100 for something that looks so sloppy after a few wearings. The pilling really kills me. For my money, I think I prefer merino.
I’d love everyone’s thoughts on how well cashmere (Everlane and otherwise) hold up to stains, and just its durability in general. I struggle with buying luxury fabrics like cashmere and silk because I feel like they just won’t fit my lifestyle. I have a toddler, dogs, I sweat easily, and I’m clumsy, so I really need things that are machine washable, and the stains will come out easily. I bought a silk tank a while back, but every time I thought about wearing it, I found a million reasons why it would get messed up, so it never got worn.
The styling is so cute, and for sure, the $100 price is tempting, but I haven’t even pulled my winter clothes out yet and I don’t think I need one. NEED instead of just WANT is a criteria for me now that I’m trying to be more thoughtful about my wardrobe.
just my own .02 > i’ve had a lot of cashmere, mostly Inhabit, over the years, wore it for many years, then it was in good enough shape to sell/pass on and hopefully get more years of wear. I didn’t have a problem with staining, generally, nor wear and tear. even my most beloved inhabit cashmere piece (a heavier weight cardigan) which I literally wear every second of every day at home in the winter is in beautiful condition. and it goes through A LOT.
in that case, i do feel like you get what you pay for. that sweater was $500+ original price, and has been worth it’s weight in gold a million times over (inhabit sent it to me to review many many years ago). but i also feel like my everlane cashmere has held up well too – it pills a little faster and looks a little worse for wear compared to inhabit, but for the price, it’s very good.
i don’t wear silk either, much, unless it’s raw silk, and that i feel is much more durable. you CAN machine wash silk!! it’s easy 🙂 and it dries super fast. it will need a steam or iron though, since it’s not dry-cleaned.
as far as the ethics are concerned, it appears that alpaca is superior to either cashmere or wool. although depending on the source, some wool is much more responsibly produced than others. icebreaker is a wonderful company for wool. my problem with alpaca is that it’s itchy. not so much that it’s a deal-breaker, but it’s not as soft as cashmere for sure. and i love lightweight merino; i don’t think it pills or shows wear as quickly as mid-or heavier weight, but both my inhabit and everlane wool cardigans are pilly messes after tons of wear.
the inhabit cardigan is felted wool and looks more chic/higher-quality than the everlane one overall, which is more slouchy and grandpa-y, so the pilling doesn’t take it down too far as it does the everlane cardigan, if that makes sense. even my imperial ranch wool sweater from Emerson Fry has pilled enough to notice with not a whole lot of wear…
i don’t know any wool or cashmere that’s not going to pill though, it’s just a natural effect of the fabric rubbing together. as far as i’ve noticed alpaca doesn’t pill much, and higher-quality, heavier weight cashmere doesn’t pill as much.
I’m super excited about this, but I really want $100 cropped cashmere–ha! The regular crewneck sweaters are nice but kind of long on me. Those colors, though… I’m obsessed.
I recently purchased my first Everlane cashmere pieces and love both! The vneck pullover (I sized up so nice & slouchy, this will be my one sweater during late fall and early winter travel) and the dress (which I probably didn’t need, would return if I still could, it’s just a bit bulky for packing and too warm for Hawaii, love it but definitely don’t need it).
I saw that email too but didn’t realize, it’s only the one piece. I think I read that part as an example, didn’t realize they only lowered the one. The only thing I could think of is it had to do with timing of the material sourcing.
I’ve been eyeing a merino wool jogger on Etsy (she makes it in a short length but can also do custom). I thought it’d be great for sleeping/lounging/flying on winter trips. I’ll definitely have to check out the cashmere Everlane!
Cashmere isn’t what it used to be. I still wear three cashmere sweaters that I had in high school (15 years out). I’ve truly worn them all hundreds of times. The elbows have thinned in two sweaters and they developed holes last winter. I just pulled them out of storage, sewed up the holes and will wear them again this winter. For the most part, they still look really good, and they don’t pill at all. At all.
I haven’t bought any cashmere recently that has last more than a couple of seasons, hasn’t pilled terribly, or developed holes really quickly in low wear and tear places. Most recently, I returned a $400 Vince cardigan to Nordstrom because it looked completely ragged after a few months of wear (excessive pilling, multiple holes).
As far as I’m concerned, affordable cashmere is low-quality cashmere that was likely produced in environmentally harmful ways. If I buy cashmere, I try to get Scottish cashmere, which is probably the only cashmere that still produced ethically because ethically produced cashmere tends to yield higher quality cashmere. Incidentally, it’s still really expensive.
Thank you! I have been eyeing some ES raw silk pieces lately. Maybe it’s time to treat myself?…