Black Friday - from the POV of a sustainable dancewear brand

This will be our 4th Black Friday as a small sustainable dancewear brand. It is always one of the biggest challenges for brands that wan to avoid promoting mindless consumption that feels at odds with our values.

Over the last few years we've thought long and hard about how to participate in Black Friday. We know that retail events and sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday can encourage can seem to make the leotards and tights you buy seem more affordable.

This year we're participating in our own way and on our own terms and instead we decided to open up the 'Anniversary Archives'.

No rush, no landfill.. just the same great quality, responsibly-made leotards and year-round sustainable after-care briefly available at a reduced price. Is our way of saying thanks for all your support throughout the year and getting us to this key milestone of being in business for 3 years. 

Why?

This year, Black Friday is looking a little scarier than usual for this small independent ballet brand... as well as other small businesses and our customers too. 

Each year, there is increasingly huge pressure for tiny independent brands to keep up with expectations and offer some mega deals pre-Christmas and ballet leotards, convertible ballet tights and men's dancewear. So we will be offering you the opportunity to get some special offers.

This is how it works in the dancewear industry:

Our owner Helen worked in the fashion and sportswear industries for many years before Imperfect Pointes! Even when offering HUGE discounts on their dancewear, big brands will absolutely still be making a profit.

For a lot of small business - if we offered those discounts, it’s likely at best we’ll just break even meaning we don’t make a loss, but neither is there any profit left in the price. So effectively working for nothing. 

Sometimes, it may seem you’re paying more for a leo or tights from Imperfect Pointes... that’s because it costs more when things are made ethically in the UK and garment workers get paid properly - that’s just a fact! You’ve all seen what goes on in fast fashion giants Boohoo and Shein and ‘fast dancewear’ is just the same ! That ballet leotard is bad for garment workers & damaging for the planet.

As we start our 4th year of sustainable dancewear, we want to thank you all for sticking with us and supporting change for good in the dancewear industry 💚🙏🏽😊

This year we are promoting our Anniversary Archive sale throughout the next week, to tempt you and to encourage you to choose independent and ethical  dancewear brands. It’s a choice - so choose brands made with love and purpose💞.

We are using Black Friday to allow us to make our stunning pieces more accessible whilst maintaining our ethical & environmental standards (the workers making your leotards are paid a proper UK wage).

We take this short term hit on our own profit because we know that once you've owned, danced and felt amazing in an Imperfect Pointes piece, you understand why our ballet leotards and tights are worth the investment. Just checkout the 5 star reviews. 

We want you to shop with us all week in a slower more considered way, rather than in a panic about what to buy. We don't want you to buy things you don't want or need. In fact - it's expensive for us when you do this (think of the costs of return postage, packaging, cleaning and restocking items and so on)! 

As always, please check our size guide for help selecting the right size for you. Want style advice? Email hello@imperfectpointes.com and Helen or Phoebe on customer service can advise on the right style for your shape.