Bank holiday weekends used to stress me out completely. Not because of the crowds or the pressure to have plans, but because they represented this perfect storm of having time to shop and retailers slashing prices simultaneously. For someone trying to stick to sustainable fashion principles, sale weekends felt like navigating a minefield of temptation where my ethics and my love of a good deal were constantly at war.
I remember three years ago, hunched over my laptop at 7 AM on a Saturday morning of a May bank holiday, frantically refreshing the websites of about twelve different ethical brands I’d been stalking for months. My coffee was getting cold, I was still in pajamas, and I had that manic energy of someone trying to grab concert tickets before they sell out. Except instead of Radiohead, I was after a specific organic cotton blazer from a B-Corp certified brand that I’d been watching since February, waiting for it to finally go on sale.
The thing about sustainable fashion sales is they’re… different. Most ethical brands don’t do the massive 70% off everything must go sales that fast fashion retailers love. When your margins are already smaller because you’re actually paying workers fairly and using better materials, you can’t just slash prices to whatever gets people through the door. So when a genuinely sustainable brand does put things on sale, it’s usually more like 20-30% off, and the good stuff disappears fast because their customer base has learned to pounce when the opportunity arises.
That particular morning, I managed to snag the blazer I’d been eyeing, plus a pair of jeans from another brand I’d been researching for weeks. Total damage was still more than I’d spend on a whole outfit from somewhere like H&M, but I felt weirdly virtuous about it. These were pieces I’d actually researched, from companies whose supply chains I’d investigated, made from materials that wouldn’t shed microplastics into the ocean every time I washed them. The blazer still hangs in my wardrobe today, and I’ve worn it to probably fifty different events. Cost per wear is getting pretty reasonable at this point.
But here’s what I’ve learned after years of trying to shop ethically during sales: you need a completely different strategy than regular retail therapy. The old approach of wandering around seeing what catches your eye doesn’t work when you’re trying to be intentional about consumption and most of the brands you want to support don’t have physical stores anyway.
These days, I start preparing for bank holiday sales about two weeks in advance. I know that sounds absolutely insane, but hear me out. I keep running lists throughout the year of things I actually need to replace or add to my wardrobe, with notes about why I need them and what I already have that’s similar. When sale season approaches, I go through that list and research which ethical brands make the items I’m looking for.
This is where my environmental consulting background actually comes in handy – I’m used to researching companies’ claims and looking for certifications that actually mean something. B-Corp certification, GOTS organic certification, Fair Trade labels… there’s a whole alphabet soup of standards to navigate, and plenty of greenwashing to cut through. I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting brands that talk a big game about sustainability but don’t have the certifications or transparency to back it up.
The timing aspect is crucial with ethical brands because many of them are small operations that don’t necessarily follow the traditional retail calendar. Some start their sales earlier in the week, others wait until the Monday. I’ve learned to sign up for newsletters from brands I’m interested in, even though it means my inbox becomes completely unmanageable during sale periods. But that’s how you get the early access codes and first dibs on limited stock.
I made the mistake two bank holidays ago of waiting until Saturday morning to check on a dress I’d been wanting from a particular sustainable brand. Gone. Not just in my size – completely sold out in every size. I’d been stalking that dress for months, researching the company, making sure they were legit, convincing myself it was worth the investment. The FOMO was real, and I learned my lesson about being ready to act quickly.
Physical stores are trickier when you’re shopping sustainably because most ethical fashion brands don’t have widespread retail presence. But some cities have started getting those multi-brand sustainable boutiques, and they can be goldmines during sale periods. There’s a place in Portland I discovered last time I was visiting friends that carries about twenty different ethical brands, and during their bank holiday sale, they were doing additional markdowns on pieces that had already been reduced. I found a jacket from a brand I’d never heard of but whose practices checked out when I looked them up on my phone right there in the store.
The research component is where sustainable sale shopping gets time-consuming. I can’t just grab something because it’s pretty and cheap – I need to know where it was made, what it’s made from, whether the workers were paid fairly. I’ve got into the habit of keeping a notes app on my phone with quick info about brands I’ve already vetted so I don’t have to research from scratch every time.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the secondhand market goes a bit crazy during bank holiday weekends too. I think people clear out their closets to make room for sale purchases, so the online consignment sites get flooded with good stuff. Vestiaire Collective, TheRealReal, even Vinted see upticks in listings. I’ve found some amazing pieces this way – designer items from people who clearly bought them on sale and barely wore them.
Last bank holiday weekend, I spent Sunday morning going through Depop with the dedication of an archaeologist. Found a barely worn dress from Reformation (a brand I like but that’s still pretty expensive even on sale) for about a third of retail price. The seller said she’d bought it for a wedding that got cancelled and just wanted it gone. Her loss, my gain, and technically the most sustainable option since the dress already existed in the world.
The mental challenge of sale shopping when you’re trying to be ethical is real though. There’s this voice that says “but it’s sustainable AND on sale, so it’s basically free money to buy it.” Which is obviously not how money works, but sale brain makes you think weird things. I’ve definitely bought things I didn’t need just because they were from ethical brands and discounted, then tried to convince myself it was virtuous consumption.
I’m looking at a linen shirt right now that I bought during a bank holiday sale eighteen months ago because it was organic and made by a worker cooperative and 25% off. It’s a lovely shirt. It’s also almost identical to two other linen shirts I already owned. Sometimes being sustainable doesn’t save you from making the same dumb shopping decisions as everyone else, just with more expensive, ethically-made versions.
To combat this, I’ve developed some rules that I follow with varying degrees of success. First, if I can’t immediately think of three different ways I’d wear something, I don’t buy it. Second, I take screenshots of things I’m considering and come back to them after at least an hour of thinking. Third, I ask myself if I’d want this item if it wasn’t on sale – if the answer is no, then the sale isn’t actually saving me money.
The budget thing is complicated with ethical fashion because everything costs more upfront. I’ve had to shift my thinking from “how much am I spending this weekend” to “how much am I spending per wear over the next few years.” That blazer I mentioned earlier seemed expensive at the time, but it’s become such a wardrobe staple that the cost per wear is probably lower than if I’d bought three cheaper blazers that fell apart or went out of style.
What I try to focus on during sales is filling actual gaps in my wardrobe with pieces that will last. Last bank holiday, my list was very specific: black pants for work that weren’t jeans, a warm cardigan that would work over dresses, and comfortable shoes that looked professional enough for client meetings. Boring list, but I found all three items from brands I’d researched, and I wear them constantly.
The online vs. in-person question is mostly answered for me by geography – most ethical brands I like don’t have stores I can easily access. But when I am shopping in person, I’ve learned to be extra careful about sizing because returning items to small ethical brands can be complicated. Their return policies are often less generous than big retailers, and some don’t offer free returns because they’re operating on smaller margins.
I’ve also learned to read reviews obsessively before buying anything online. The ethical fashion community is pretty good about sharing honest feedback about quality and sizing, especially on Instagram. There are accounts that specialize in reviewing sustainable brands, and they’re incredibly helpful for avoiding expensive mistakes.
One unexpected benefit of shopping ethically during sales is that you end up discovering smaller brands you wouldn’t have found otherwise. When I’m researching sustainable options for specific items, I often stumble across companies doing interesting things with recycled materials or innovative production methods. Some of my favorite pieces now are from brands I’d never heard of before I started taking this approach to shopping.
This bank holiday weekend, I’m going in with a very short list: a warm coat that will last several winters, ideally made from recycled materials. I’ve been researching options for weeks, reading about different insulation materials and checking out various brands’ sustainability credentials. It’s not the most exciting shopping list ever, but it’s purposeful in a way that feels good.
The irony isn’t lost on me that I now spend more time researching fashion purchases than I did writing some college papers. But there’s something satisfying about finding exactly what you need from a company whose practices align with your values, especially when you can get it at a reasonable price during a sale. It’s like a little victory over the fast fashion system that makes it so easy to buy things you don’t need and so hard to buy things you do.
So if you see me this weekend, hunched over my laptop at ungodly hours or standing in the one ethical boutique in Seattle reading care labels like they contain state secrets, just know I’m fighting the good fight. One carefully researched, occasionally on-sale purchase at a time.
Claire started Claire Wears to bridge the gap between fashion media and real life. Based in Chicago, she writes with honesty, humor, and a firm “no” to $300 “affordable” shoes. Expect practical advice, strong opinions, and the occasional rant about ridiculous trends.
