On Thursday morning, Leandra Medine Cohen confirmed that Man Repeller, the website she started in 2010 as a personal style blog, will be shutting down. This follows an earlier announcement that she would be stepping back from daily operations, and that the website would be rebranded as Repeller.
This past summer, both Leandra and the brand she founded — which celebrated dressing for yourself and mixing high and low purchases — were publicly criticized by employees for what they saw as racist and classist behavior. The website relaunched on September 9 with a new design, new leadership, and a post titled “Notice Anything Different Around Here?” It spoke optimistically of “more changes to come.” Repeller continued to publish until October 19, but in a team Zoom call on Monday, employees were told that the publication would close.
“I am confirming that Repeller, formerly Man Repeller, is ending operations and offering employees severance pay,” Medine Cohen told the Cut in a statement. “The company has been self-funded by its operations since its launch ten years ago as a personal blog but due to financial constraints, we are no longer able to sustain the business.”
