As you probably know, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are approaching and while it can be a good occasion to score a great deal on something you wanted to buy anyway, more often than not we feel like we need to buy stuff just because it is on sale, only to discard everything a few months later. This is why I have decided to share with you a few things to keep in mind this upcoming Black Friday.

1 - Remember that the fashion industry has a huge environmental impact

I already touched on this in my post about sustainable fashion - fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. Let that sink it. Producing our clothes, even a simple cotton T-shirt, requires a LOT of water and land, among many other resources, is highly polluting in terms of the chemicals that are used, and often results in loss of biodiversity as well. Make sure to keep that in mind whenever shopping for clothes! Look up a brand before buying something from them to find out if they are making efforts towards sustainability or not, and try your best not to shop from fast fashion brands as they are the ones who have the biggest environmental impact.

2 - Think about who made your clothes

Not only is producing clothes highly impactful on the planet, but the people involved in the production process (especially those at the bottom of the chain) often work in terrible conditions, are poorly paid and need to work long hours in unsafe factories. So once again, try to find out more information about how something was produced before purchasing it, and when possible buy from ethical, responsible brands rather than industry giants whose standards are often questionable.

3 - Remember that small shops and designers will do a little dance every time they sell something!

This is something that I read online the other day and I thought it was so true! Put yourself in the shoes of an independent shop owner or a small designer and think about how it will make them feel to see that you decided to spend your hard earned money on their creations. Supporting small designers is important as often they are the ones who are challenging the industry and trying to make change happen.

4 - Make sure it's not a "sale purchase"

I always keep this in mind when sale shopping. I define a "sale purchase" as something I would not have bought if the price was not reduced. More often than not these half hearted purchases end up in the no longer wanted pile during my next wardrobe clear out and were not a great investments at all. Now of course, you can still buy something on sale and love it for years - usually this happens if you already had your eyes on the item before it went on sale, or if you make sure the brand, style, fit, color etc suit you and your style.

5 - Overcome the FOMO

Finally, and I wanted to keep this as a little end note - try your best to overcome the FOMO (fear of missing out) retailers want you to feel. It's easy to get carried away by all the price reductions and offers everywhere and end up buying things we don't need or didn't want after all. But really, it's okay if you don't buy anything during the Black Friday sales. It will even feel quite good knowing you didn't contribute to the overconsumption!

In case you'd still like to treat yourself or start looking for Christmas gifts, here are a few ethical / sustainable options.

- ETHICAL BLACK FRIDAY OFFERS -

Please note that while some brands start their Black Friday offers early, not all of them are available yet. I will therefore be updating the list throughout the weekend with more information and new deals if I find any :) 

Reformation: 30% off everything
Stella McCartney: up to 50% off
Jimmy Fairly: profits go to a charity who organize trips to
the Himalaya with visually impaired people (nov 23-25)
What Goes Around Comes Around (vintage): up to 25% off
Two Thirds: up to 40% off
Nanushka: up to 50% off
Acne Studios: up to 50% off
Vestiaire Collective (second hand): 50% off on a selection of pieces
REN skincare: up to 30% off
G-Star: up to 50% off
Jakke London (faux fur coats): up to 50% off
Stay Wild Swimwear: 10% off with code "forceofnature" + 5% of price goes to charity
Inaya Lingerie: 30% off everything