Tips to grab a good Black Friday bargain

Well, this is awkward.

We launch a blog on ethical style and just two weeks later, Black Friday comes along to tempt me back into my old ways. I’m long overdue a new winter jacket and could do with a new dress or two and god knows, there are some cheap deals being touted by all the major high street brands at the moment.

But… as I delve further into the stories about fast fashion, and am confronted with the array of stats and facts about the clothing trade, I just can’t. Here are just a few that particularly resonated:

• On average, UK consumers send 30kg of clothing and textiles per capita to landfill each year — 1.2 million tonnes of clothing went to landfill in 2005 in the UK alone. — Ethical Fashion Forum
• An estimated 170 million children are engaged in child labour, or 11% of the global population of children, according to the International Labour Organisation. Many of these are making textiles and garments to satisfy the demand of consumers in Europe, the US, and beyond — the Guardian
• Women comprise about 80% of garment workers worldwide, by many counts. In Bangladesh, female workers account for 85% of the country’s four million garment workers. In Cambodia, women are about 90% to 92% of the over 700,000 garment workers, according to a Human Rights Watch report. The women in these countries and more — China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Mexico — are the source for most American-bought clothing. — Style Mic
• Hourly wages in garment factories around the world are often less than 50p. In Bangladesh, where 80% of the economy depends on the fashion industry, the minimum wage now stands at £7.16 a month (2006). That’s 2.5 times less than its value of £18 in 1994, while the price of essential commodities- like rice, sugar, cooking oil and water — has risen by 200 per cent…(making it) virtually impossible for workers to support their families. (Ethical Trading Initiative , 2006) — Ethical Fashion Forum

Dire.

Until I can be sure that I’m not perpetuating these sad realities with my consumer dollar, I can’t justify the spend. While it’s great to bag a bargain, I have to make sure that somewhere, someone else isn’t paying for it, as they say. For you — and for me — therefore, I’ve compiled a list of alternative ways to grab a guilt-free Black Friday bargain tomorrow.

Support ethical brands

Here are some of my favourites at the moment.

Love this Reformation dress

• Reformation: killer clothes that don’t kill the environment. LOVE.
• Beulah: made in Britain, worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and some of the profits raised to support survivors of sex-trafficking in India.
• Good One: a London-born, independent label with awesome clothes, including a bomber jacket I’ve been trying to hunt down for ages (see below).
• Everlane: they’ll take you through the true cost of each item they sell — and they have some beautiful products — and are giving all their Black Friday takings to its factory staff. Nice.
• Gather and See: gorgeous, curated ethical clothes.
• 69 Boutique: They’re based in Broadway market, East London — and also online — and stock clothes, shoes and accessories from local and international ethical labels.
• Kowtow: my wonderful and stylish aunt Sue just sent me this NZ brand that makes a beautiful 100% organic cotton collection.

There are so many more out there and I want to hear your favourites too in the comments below.

Preloved clothes

I hear you friends: finding a beautiful outfit in a secondhand shop requires a level of commitment and time that people don’t normally have.

Love this A/W 2014 Good One jacket but it’s out of stock everywhere. I’m holding out for second hand…

That said, many of the ones I’ve visited recently have upped their style game and I’ve found some lovely things. And, if all else fails, you can always buy something with potential and restyle it. You can find many charity shops on your local high street but here are two I love:

• Oxfam: yep, because I used to volunteer at a store restyling clothes. And, of course, because the money raised goes to international humanitarian efforts. And now you can also shop online for their clothes. What’s not to love?
• TRAID: and this week, they’re celebrating #secondhandfirst — if you’re waiting for a sign…

And then, of course, there’s always eBay.

Handmade

I’ve always liked the concept of Etsy, the online marketplace for talented makers and designers to directly connect with potential buyers, but it was only when I needed to find myself a bridesmaid dress earlier this year that it became true love.

My gorgeous friend Em and me in my Emilie’s Silva bridesmaid dress

I love that it provides a platform to enable people to use their talents to create small businesses and, in turn, be independent. Here are two of the shops I love:

• Emilie’s Silver: this is an independent store with Jurgita as the designer/seamstress and her partner Jorge as the photographer. She made my first Etsy dress — and then my second. It probably won’t be my last.
• Marcellamoda: two friends who design classic pieces and donate 5% of all purchases to UNICEF. Good one.

Clothes swap

Love this idea, and there are some great events already taking place regularly across London. These include:

• The Clothes Club: you pay to get in — and all the money raised goes to a different charity each time —hand over clothes you don’t want any more but are in near-perfect nick, and replenish your wardrobe with others’ clothes. So many levels of feel good here.
• Swishing: there are heaps of upcoming UK clothes swap events on this site — and, if you wish, you can even host your own.
• The style exchange: here’s where you swish online. Convenient.

Happy shopping/swapping, dear readers. If you have any others tips, I’d love to hear them in the comments below…

Of course, you don’t really need to buy anything on Friday, despite what all the adverts say… But that’s another story.