Previously being an untouchable haven for bargain-hunters, Black Friday is increasingly being seen as a shady slice of consumerism.
Turns out goods aren’t all that good. Unhappy Black Friday to you all – it’s the day that sees swathes of shoppers slalom round shelves to find that cheaper fridge they really, really wanted. But probably didn’t really need, at all.
It’s no surprise that since it emerged in the 60s, Black Friday has become a major part of the fashion world. It’s simple marketing – people love sales and people love clothes. So clothes sales? Well, now we’re talking.
But it also makes it a dire day for our planet. As we all know, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter of fresh water, and generates 92 million tons of waste a year. In terms of harming our environment, fashion has been there, done that and worn the T-Shirt.
The good news? The future of Black Friday is looking less dark. Many brands are totally closing their websites, like New York sister brand to Supreme, Noah. They’ve been doing it since they started four years ago, in an aid to show that sometimes it’s good not to shop. Patagonia, similarly, are encouraging users to donate to grassroots causes (that they’ll match) rather than cop new coats.
Loads of cool events are taking place too, ran by some our favourite sustainable labels. Raeburn, for example, are holding an event today called Buy Nothing Day, offering free repairs at their Hackney labs. Eco-friendly, Margate-based cosmetics brand Haeckels are running a barter day, too, which sees people swap items for their products.
These kinds of events make up what’s becoming known as Green Friday (geddit). It’s a brighter idea, literally – dedicate the day to increasing sustainability in the public consciousness, and promote eco-friendly fashion rather than – err – those pesky discounted fridges.
Green Friday Festival, a new festie running in London based around this idea, is rounding-up creatives like Phoebe English, Nifty Thrifter and Revival Threads. We’ll be making a video diary on our IG stories, so keep a watchful eye out for that.
Or, if green’s not your shade (you sure, have you tried lime??) Mud Jeans are running Blue Friday. It’s themed around the ocean, obvs, and looking to draw attention to pollution via their sustainable jeans.
It seems then, that the future of Black Friday’s looking brighter. Sustainability’s moving in all over the shop – and that truly makes us TGIF.
Check out our Instagram stories for our ‘be here for tmrw’ video series and Green Friday Festival diary.
