As Black Friday approaches, Maykher fashion joins other UK brands in calling for slower, more considered purchasing
A Cardiff-based ethical fashion company is joining calls for consumers to think more carefully about how they spend their money in the run-up to Black Friday.
Maykher is participating in the online movement #ShopEthicalInstead, which encourages people to buy less and choose goods that are ethical and sustainable.
In 2018, UK consumers spent £7bn on purchases over the Black Friday period – something that Heidi-Louise Griffiths, director and co-founder of Maykher, thinks illustrates the problem of overconsumption.
“I think it’s hugely damaging and it encourages unconsidered purchases and irresponsible spending. Our whole ethos is against that entirely, we like to encourage people to shop and live much slower,” said Heidi-Louise.
Black Friday is on 29 November this year and is swiftly followed by Cyber Monday on 2 December. The rush to purchase at large discounts can lead to a false sense of having saved money argues Heidi-Louise.
“I think Black Friday encourages people to buy more and more and makes them feel like they are getting a bargain, when actually, they’re not getting a good deal because they don’t necessarily need that item in the first place.”
Those who are fed up of consumerism as the Christmas season approaches will find some relief on 30 November as Fair Saturday launches in Cardiff for the first time.
Fair Saturday encourages people to come together to celebrate culture, rather than participating in overconsumption.
It’s an ethos that Heidi-Louise embraces with her focus on slow fashion.
“The idea behind slow fashion is encouraging people to make more considered purchases; buying less but buying better and choosing well,” said Heidi-Louise.
“We’d like people to just go a bit slower, to think carefully about what they really need and when they do decide to buy something choose something that’s going to last them a long time.”