Can Black Friday and Sustainable Fashion Co-Exist? Insights from Vogue

Date: November 20, 2025
Author: Sophie Benson

Black Friday, known for driving massive consumer spending, has become a challenging phenomenon for sustainable fashion brands. The tension between commercial survival and eco-conscious values raises an important question: can these two realities co-exist?

The Black Friday Dilemma for Sustainable Brands

• Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark crucial sales windows, often accounting for 20-50% of many brands’ annual revenue (WooCommerce data).
• However, these sales events epitomize consumerism, often conflicting with sustainability goals.
• Brands risk fostering a harmful cycle of discount-driven shopping, which can degrade product value and encourage overconsumption.

Anna Woods, founder of the resale brand Positive Retail, emphasizes the damage discount culture has done in the fashion industry over the past two decades:

"Discounting has been the death of the industry."

Evidence of a Shift Toward Conscious Shopping

• Data from Shopify reveals that 20% of consumers plan to shop more sustainably in the 2025 holiday season.
• Simultaneously, many brands are investing in sustainable products and transparency to build customer loyalty.

Deann Evans, EMEA Managing Director at Shopify, notes:

“For many, Black Friday has become a gateway to buy better, accessing higher quality or more sustainable products at an affordable price point.”

How Leading Brands Are Navigating Black Friday

1. Christy Dawn: Entry Through Accessibility

• The US-based regenerative fashion brand launched a Black Friday version of its best-selling Dawn dress, priced at $99 (vs. the usual $198), to attract new customers to sustainable fashion.
• The simpler organic cotton version helps lower the entry barrier without compromising quality or the brand’s mission.
• Benefits:
  • 44% of November 2024 customers were new, with new customer orders up by 121%.
  • November typically is the brand’s strongest sales month.

Aras Baskauskas, CEO, explains:

“If you try to lean entirely on idealism, you’re going to run yourself into the ground. We play the game a little to continue our work.”

2. Everlane: Combining Discounts with Philanthropy

• Everlane offers up to 70% off but directs part of the Black Friday momentum into the Everlane Black Friday Fund.
• The fund supports environmental and social projects, including a $50,000 donation to Good Growth’s regenerative cashmere initiative aimed at reversing grassland degradation in Mongolia.
• Since inception, over $1.57 million has been donated to projects like plastic waste clean-ups and community feeding programs.
• Everlane reimagine Black Friday as a force for good aligned with its “radical transparency” values.

3. Veja: Rejecting Sales, Promoting Repair

• The French footwear brand has not participated in Black Friday sales since 2017.
• Instead, Veja launched Repair Friday—offering free repairs on sneakers of any brand—to extend product life and reduce waste.
• This approach supports Veja’s Clean, Repair, Collect project that addresses fashion waste and environmental impact, especially in the Global South.
• A spokesperson states:
  

  “We repair all kinds of shoes because waste generation is an industry issue, not a brand issue.”

4. Asket: A Total Black Friday Shutdown

• Since 2017, Swedish brand Asket closes its stores and website entirely during Black Friday, refusing to participate in the consumer frenzy.
• This bold stance reflects a commitment to anti-overconsumption and supports the brand’s ethos of quality and longevity.

Conclusion: Finding Balance in a Complex Landscape

Black Friday remains a critical, if complicated, period for sustainable fashion brands. While some opt out entirely, others like Christy Dawn and Everlane strategically engage with sales events to attract new customers and fund sustainability initiatives. Meanwhile, brands like Veja showcase alternative approaches emphasizing repair and waste reduction.

Ultimately, the key lies in balancing economic reality with environmental and social responsibility, offering customers a chance to shop consciously without sacrificing business viability. As consumer awareness grows, the hope is for more sustainable sales models that can redefine the holiday shopping landscape.

Sources: Vogue Business, WooCommerce, Shopify, Christy Dawn, Everlane, Veja, Positive Retail

Keywords: Black Friday, sustainable fashion, ethical brands, Conscious consumerism, regenerative cotton, resale, repair initiatives, philanthropy in fashion, Asket, Everlane, Christy Dawn, Veja

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