We don’t do black friday (here’s why, and what we do instead)

Hi, Ella here 👋

As the year wraps up and the festive season begins, I always start to notice the same thing filling my inbox and social feeds: Black Friday sales. The endless “50% off everything!” banners, the rush to “grab it before it’s gone”, and the sense that if you’re not buying something, you’re missing out.

But here at Ella Pop Shop, we don’t do Black Friday. And there’s a reason for that, several, actually. While those sales might look exciting on the surface, what they really do is encourage the very thing I’ve been trying to help people unlearn: overconsumption. Let’s talk about why.

What’s wrong with Black Friday?

Black Friday started as a one-day event, but it’s turned into weeks of hype and overproduction, especially in the fashion world. Brands produce enormous quantities of cheap clothing, often made from synthetic fabrics, designed to sell fast and be forgotten even faster.

The result? Mountains of unsold stock, massive carbon emissions, and clothes that end up in landfill within a year of being made. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a truckload of textiles is wasted every single second worldwide. And yet, each November, fast fashion brands drop another “holiday collection”, ready to repeat the cycle. That’s not what fashion is meant to be.

Producing (and discounting) cheap, disposable clothing has a huge environmental footprint:

• The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and shipping combined.
• 85% of all textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated each year.
• Synthetic fabrics like polyester shed microplastics into our oceans every time they’re washed.

And behind the low prices, there’s another hidden cost, the human one. Many fast fashion brands rely on underpaid garment workers in unsafe conditions, all in the name of keeping prices low enough for mass sales. That’s not a system I want to support.

What do we do instead of Black Friday?

At Ella Pop Shop, our approach to fashion is the complete opposite of the Black Friday mindset.
We believe in buying less, but better, in cherishing what you already own. And in shopping, second-hand or vintage is one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably, without sacrificing your personal style.

Every vintage piece you find at Ella Pop Shop already has a story. It’s been made to last, passed down, and now, it’s waiting to become part of your wardrobe and your journey. That’s the beauty of slow fashion: every item you buy already exists. No new resources. No wasteful production. Just quality craftsmanship that stands the test of time.

Rather than slashing prices for one chaotic weekend, I like to keep things simple and intentional. Instead of a limited-time sale frenzy, we have a curated Sale Section on the website all year round.
That means that whenever you’re ready to buy, you’ll find beautiful vintage pieces, timeless, unique, and fairly priced, waiting for you.

You’ll also find some special discounts at my in-person market pop-ups across London. It’s my way of keeping shopping personal, meaningful, and in line with what vintage is all about: finding something you genuinely love. I personally believe that the best treasures are the ones you didn’t rush to buy, but discovered slowly, with joy.

So while others are dropping discount codes, I’ll be somewhere in London, steaming a rail of freshly-sourced vintage pieces, ready to find their next forever home. Come by, say hello, and shop consciously this season.

With love,
Ella x