Bay Area minimalistas hungry for oft-absent NY-style fashion events in Northern California were treated to an Open Studios yesterday at the San Francisco headquarters of Everlane.
If you follow my Instagram account you know I’m part of the above mentioned fashion event starved group. Since I stumbled upon Everlane earlier this year I’ve amassed an anti-minimal number of their pieces which now make up the bulk of my seasonal wardrobe capsules.
Everlane’s easy basics, clean lines, and classic color pallet has transformed what used to be a “struggling-to-get-dressed” routine to “out-the-door-in-5-minutes”. SUPER important when you have 2 school-age kids in tow and are facing a 1-1/2 hour commute into the City that you live only 10 miles from (but that’s another story).
Today’s event got off to a suprisingly low key start with the very incognito entrance to their studio marked only by an 8×10 sheet of paper telling which gated door to enter.
A dark narrow staircase opens up to a large loft space filled with light and the faint smell of cloves.
Soft beats pulsed from the DJ while fashion savvy women and men milled about siping on cocktails from Rye and trying on the yet to be released Modern and Street ankle boot collection. Also available for try-on were the Waffle Knit and Street Fleece collections. The color palette of the guests matched fittingly with the offerings on the racks; greys, blacks, whites, and navy’s. Meanwhile the only pop of color from the Everlane staff and college-aged brand ambassadors was from Ling Luke of Branding Activations and Partnerships who wore the Everlane cashmere sweater in poppy and an organza layered serenity-blue mid skirt. With her hair stylishly tucked into her turtleneck she definitely seemed like the person to talk to.
Luke invited me to see their recent office expansion which was linked by a concrete sky bridge to an adjacent warehouse space.
Of course, being the construction person that I am, I inquired about the builder, whom Luke described as “scrappy”. She further described how Everlane is poised to become a $1B company and has plans to open a brick-and-mortar retail store in NY. I was screaming inside “YASSS!” But kept my outward reaction cool.
Although there will be much strategy for this young retail firm to consider before opening additional stores and expanding their product line, I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of Everlane sooner rather than later
SF Minimalistas stay tuned to your social media accounts for more Bay Area Everlane events to be announced. <3
