The Black Friday No One Talks About

Slow- fashion founder’s perspective 

Many of us remember when the biggest shopping moment of the year wasn’t Black Friday, it was the January sales.

You’d queue outside a department store with your mum, frozen but hopeful, clutching a flask, waiting to see if you could grab something special to carry you through the year.

Back then, sales were rare.

Considered.

Almost a tradition.

Today, they’re constant, and for small brands like Melyr, that shift comes at a cost that’s rarely spoken about.

What Black Friday Really Means for Small Brands

Large retailers use Black Friday to clear huge volumes of overproduced stock.

Their margins are built for mega-discounts.

Their warehouses are bursting with units they expect to sell at a discount.

Small, slow-fashion brands aren’t built like that.

At MELYR, we produce in small batches, working with ethical makers in Portugal, Turkey, and China.

We don’t carry thousands of units.

We don’t overproduce.

We don’t inflate margins to slash them dramatically later.

When Black Friday hits, it becomes a 10-day price war that tiny brands are neither equipped to fight nor willing to.

Why Deep Discounts Undermine Sustainable Fashion

There’s a part of sustainability no one talks about: PACE.

Deep discounting pushes:

• More stock
• More waste
• Less value
• Less longevity
• Less ability for small brands to survive

It encourages panic buying.

It feeds the fast-fashion cycle.

It conditions customers to wait for a discount instead of choosing pieces they genuinely love.

Slow, sustainable fashion can’t exist in a world where discounts are expected every other week.

Why We’re Choosing "Slow Friday" Instead

“Slow Friday” is our antidote to the chaos, a gentle rebellion rooted in what we believe.

Clothing should be:

✔ Thoughtfully designed

✔ Beautifully made

✔ Timeless and inclusive

✔ Ethically produced

✔ Loved for years, not weeks

Those values cannot coexist with constant, frantic discounting.

"Slow Friday" allows us to protect the integrity of our makers, our fabrics, our margins and our mission.

It gives us space to grow with heart, not desperation , and to stay true to what MELYR stands for.

A Gentle Invitation to Shop Intentionally

If something from our collection has been calling your name, choose it because it feels right for your wardrobe, your lifestyle, your confidence.

Not because a countdown timer tells you “must”.

At MELYR, we design clothes that skim, not cling.

Clothes that flatter grown-up bodies.

Clothes that stay with you for years.

If that resonates, you’re in the right place.

Stay Connected With MELYR

If you’d like to join our slow-fashion community:

✨ Join our mailing list for early access and new arrivals

✨ Follow us on Instagram or Facebook

✨ Connect with me on LinkedIn for the real behind-the-scenes founder stories

Thank you for choosing small, thoughtful fashion.

With love, Amy x