Michael Preysman
Michael Preysman is an American entrepreneur and the founder of apparel brand EverlaneEverlaneEverlane is an American direct-to-consumer apparel brand founded in 2010 by Michael Preysman and Jesse Farmer and launched in 2011, known for its “Radical Transparency” positioning of disclosing product costs and factories; in May 2026 Shein acquired the company from majority owner L Catterton, and the deal later came under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.Open the full entry, which he founded in 2010 and led as CEO until 2021, known for its “Radical Transparency” approach of disclosing product costs; after Everlane was sold to Shein in 2026, he announced a new venture without venture capital or private equity.
Contents9 sections
Key facts
2007–2010Education, Finance and the Idea for Everlane
Preysman graduated from Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It grew out of the Carnegie Technical Schools, founded with funding from Andrew Carnegie in 1900, which were renamed the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1912 and took the present name after merging with the Mellon Institute in 1967. The university is known for computer science, robotics, engineering, and the arts, and has campuses in Qatar, Silicon Valley, and Rwanda. As of September 2025, it enrolled 16,582 students. Its current president is Farnam Jahanian. On September 30, 2026, the university announced a $3 billion gift from Ken Griffin and plans to build a new campus in Miami.Open the full entry in 2007 with a double major in electrical and computer engineering and economics, went into private equity, and founded Everlane in 2010.[1]
He recalled working with brands such as Pandora and Facebook in finance after graduation and planning a venture capital career; a trip to the small Spanish town where his favorite wallet was made left him frustrated with retail’s lack of transparency: “I just didn’t get why these things cost what they do.”[2]
2011Launches Everlane
Raised in Sunnyvale, California, Preysman launched Everlane in 2011 at the age of 25 after a brief stint in finance.[3]
April 2016Denies Amazon Talks
In April 2016, after word that Amazon had considered acquiring fashion startups including Everlane, Preysman said Amazon had “never talked to us.”[4]
November 2017Turning to Physical Retail
In 2012 Preysman had said he would “shut the company down before we go into physical retail”; in 2017 he announced stores, saying customers wanted to touch products before buying: “We realized we need to have stores if we’re going to grow on a national and global scale.”[5]
September 2021Steps Down as CEO
In September 2021, Everlane announced that former Ugg president Andrea O’Donnell would become CEO from January 1, 2022, with Preysman stepping down as CEO to become executive chair with a sustainability-focused role.[6]
October 2024Remains Executive Chairman
When Alfred Chang became Everlane’s CEO in October 2024, Preysman continued as executive chairman and climate lead.[7]
2026Leaves the Board and Starts Over
Preysman later left Everlane’s board over disagreements, said he was not involved in the Shein deal and called it “Quite shocking, to be honest, and not a decision that I would ever make”; he said he was funding his new apparel company himself.[8]
On the Still Radical website he wrote that Everlane’s management team sold the company to Shein on May 29 and that he was starting over on the same principles, with “no venture capital, no private equity.”[9]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Everlane: Official website: https://www.everlane.com/ (opens in a new window)[10]
Still Radical: Official website: https://www.stillradical.com/ (opens in a new window)[9]
Sources
- Radical Retailing by Design (opens in a new window)
- Career Fashioning - Carnegie Mellon University | CMU (opens in a new window)
- Everlane Takes On Fashion's Plastic Problem (opens in a new window)
- Amazon eyed up Everlane, Le Tote and more for acquisition in a wider fashion push (opens in a new window)
- Everlane To Open 2 Flagship Locations As More E-Commerce Retailers Go Brick-And-Mortar (opens in a new window)
- Everlane names new CEO (opens in a new window)
- Everlane appoints new CEO (opens in a new window)
- Everlane co-founder, shocked by Shein acquisition, wants a redo (opens in a new window)
- Still Radical (opens in a new window)
- Everlane - About (opens in a new window)