Sustainable or dumping price? Why Black Friday is a pain

We've been hearing the word "sustainable" more and more often in recent years. It's become trendy, a buzzword you see everywhere—from supermarkets to major clothing chains. But of course, we're still Dutch… Sustainable is great, but it also has to be as affordable as possible. And that's precisely the problem. Especially in November, when you're bombarded with flashy Black Friday ads for weeks in advance.

DISCOUNT, DISCOUNT, and more DISCOUNT! And on top of that… even more discounts. Bargain hunting has practically become a national sport.

Black Friday isn't just a discount party. It originated in the United States, where it takes place the day after Thanksgiving. It's an American holiday that celebrates gratitude. Gratitude for the harvest and for everything the past year has brought.

From gratitude to pushes

Have you ever seen the images of the Black Friday madness? That gratitude seems completely gone. Massive lines with the usual pushing and shoving. People fighting over an item as if it were their lives at stake. Is that how we want to treat each other and our possessions?

This chaos of bargains clearly demonstrates why Black Friday clashes so strongly with what we call "sustainable," "conscious shopping," or even "slow fashion." Because when you see such outlandish prices, one question arises:

Where does all this discount actually come from?

There's no such thing as a real discount. The price always decreases somewhere:

• from the creator
• of the entrepreneur
• of the quality
• at too high a price
• of nature

In clothing this often means:

• cheaper materials
• low wages and excessively long working days
• mass production
• a lot of waste
• zero attention to fair clothing or environmentally friendly production

Meanwhile, major chains claim to sell "sustainable fashion," yet they continue to use bargain prices to promote Black Friday for weeks. That's not sustainability—that's marketing.

Why we choose fairwear

At Rok&Billie we believe in fair prices, fair production and unique items that you wear with pride.

No mass production, no disposable fashion, but clothing made with care. Slow fashion isn't expensive—fast fashion is too cheap. And that comes at a price. Not for you, but for someone else.

So… why no Black Friday?

Because we believe that:

• creators should be paid fairly
• quality over discount
• clothing is not a disposable product
• sustainability should not be a slogan

As a small business owner, we can't and won't participate in weeks of "everything must go" mentality. We choose conscious, honest, responsible, and truly sustainable. Fortunately, there are more and more Unique Rebels like you who understand this. And we are grateful for that – every single day.

Just keep it simple and a little colorful, that's crazy enough. See you soon! In our shop, where a cup of green tea and black coffee are always ready for you. We'd love to see you 😊

*Of course, items from previous collections and last-minute sizes are also discounted. But we don't call that Black Friday. We call it a good old-fashioned "clearance sale."