Are we entering an era when consumers prefer “value” over values? That’s the question many are asking after Everlane’s recent acquisition by Shein. For years, brands like Everlane, Reformation, and Allbirds represented a new vision for fashion: stylish basics paired with sustainability promises, transparent supply chains, and a distinctly millennial sense of conscious consumerism. Now, many of those same companies are facing a reality check. The Everlane-Shein deal, for instance, surprised much of the industry given the stark contrast between the two companies’ reputations and business models. Meanwhile, Allbirds—the once-beloved sustainable sneaker brand that became synonymous with Silicon Valley minimalism—recently announced a pivot away from footwear and toward AI cloud infrastructure after years of declining sales and mounting financial pressure. These developments raise larger questions about whether the original “ethical millennial brand” movement was ever truly sustainable as a business model. Keep reading here.—JS | 
