5 brands boycotting Black Friday for good causes

For some brands and retailers, Black Friday is all about slashing prices and offering major discounts, for 2020, several brands are protesting the annual discounting event in favour of charity drives.

Black Friday 2020 this year falls on November 27 and, while for some brands it offers an opportunity to capture that much-needed consumer spend to kick start the festive season, others are going against the discounting tradition and launching socially conscious alternatives.

Baukjen and Isabella Oliver to give back this Black Friday

London-based sustainable online womenswear and maternity wear brands Baukjen and Isabella Oliver are swapping deals for good deeds this Black Friday. The slow fashion business has decided to go against the aggressive discounting this year, in favour of donating all profits to charities in need.

Over the four-day shopping weekend, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, Baukjen and Isabella Oliver will be boycotting consumerism by partnering with four different charities - Centrepoint, The Trussell Trust, Papyrus and The Prince’s Trust. Each day it will donate 100 percent of profits from both its premium fashion brand websites to the social causes in the UK.

“It’s been such a difficult year and as an ethical and sustainable brand we don’t feel its right to participate and encourage hyper consumerism,” explains Baukjen de Swaan Arons, creative director and founder of Baukjen and Isabella Oliver in a statement. “We believe in buying less and buying better, which is why this year, we wanted to give back and really make a difference.”

Images: courtesy of Baukjen

Allbirds to raise prices on Black Friday instead of discounting

While other brands are slashing prices, sustainable sneaker brand Allbirds will actually be raising prices. For Black Friday 2020, Allbirds will be increasing prices across its entire collection, while asking its customers to “break tradition, not the planet”.

Allbirds will raise all prices by 1 US dollar and match them by 1 US dollar, with the difference being donated to Fridays For Future, the youth-led international climate movement founded by climate activist Greta Thunberg.

In a statement, the sneaker brand explained: “As a certified B Corp, we believe that business can be a force for good, and balancing purpose with profit is the future of commerce. To successfully tackle climate change, we need to collectively reduce our carbon impact and protect the earth’s resources.

“With a little more consciousness around how we consume, we can all tread lighter on the planet. What better time to start living a more balanced life than on Black Friday?”

Image: courtesy of Allbirds

Hush partners with charity Crisis

Fashion brand Hush will be partnering with charity Crisis to support their new ‘Connect for Crisis’ initiative for Black Friday, where they will donate 20 percent of all online proceeds for 24 hours to the campaign.

All money raised through Hush-uk.com between 0:01 to 23:59 on Friday, November 27 will go directly to supporting Crisis this Christmas alongside their services throughout the year on housing, health and wellbeing, work, learning and digital inclusion.

Hush founder and creative director, Mandy Watkins, said: “We’ve never been fans of Black Friday and we were always planning to sit it out this year. However, with all that’s happened in recent months, it seemed increasingly fitting that instead offering any Black Friday discounts, we use the opportunity to raise money for our friends at our long-term charity partner, Crisis, to help with their ongoing campaign to end homelessness for good.”

Image: courtesy of Hush

Celtic and Co. to set an example of “consciousness”

British fashion brand Celtic and Co. has declared that it “won’t be playing the Black Friday game” this year and instead wants to set “an example of consciousness” and will not be offering any special discounts the week commencing Black Friday or on the day itself.

It is calling on its customers to think before they buy, by asking themselves will they wear an item of clothing more than a few times? Will it last? Will it go out of fashion and get left at the back of their wardrobe? And what will happen when they decide it has had its day?

Instead of discounting, Celtic and Co. will donate 1 pound for each order placed on Black Friday to the CLIC Sargent charity, which is also the beneficiary of all profits of the sales of its knitted facemasks.

Kath Whitworth, co-founder of Celtic and Co., explained: “Instead of offering big, out of the norm discounts, that completely undermine the quality and care that went into the making of our garments and disrespect the people who made them, we have decided to donate 1 pound from each order on Black Friday to charity.

“We want to set an example to show that we care about a sustainable society every day of the year. We won’t forget our ethos and our own aspiration towards what we’re doing just for the sake of more sales.”

Image: courtesy of Celtic and Co.

Belstaff to support the Big Issue Foundation this Black Friday

British heritage brand Belstaff is placing a spotlight on the Big Issue Foundation this Black Friday by donating 10 percent of all full-price sales from November 27 - 30.

This follows an earlier spring promotion where Belstaff donated a jacket for every jacket sold online, during the first national lockdown. This October, thanks to those who bought at the start of the year, Belstaff were able to distribute 350 jackets to Big Issue vendors across the UK.

Tracy Griffin, Big Issue Foundation interim chief executive, said: “As we enter the depths of winter, we are reminded of everyone’s need to stay warm. That’s why we are so grateful to Belstaff for providing 350 jackets to Big Issue vendors across the UK through their buy one give one spring promotion.

“We are also so pleased that we will be receiving 10 percent of every sale made from November 27 to the 30, which will help provide much needed support with health, housing and finance for vendors at this critical time.”

Image: courtesy of Belstaff by photographer Carlos Gonzalez Perez