{"id":33939,"title":"Take Back Christmas","description":"Up there in the collective cultural calendar with birthdays and Christmas, we now have Black Friday. There\u2019s something odd about it. Most of these things (Christmas, Easter, Remembrance Day, Pride) start out to recognise some shared values","content":"

Up there in the collective cultural calendar with birthdays and Christmas, we now have Black Friday. There\u2019s something odd about it. Most of these things (Christmas, Easter, Remembrance Day, Pride) start out to recognise some shared values. Yet Black Friday has ended up sharing the stage despite having, at its heart, absolutely nothing. It recognises shareholder value. It\u2019s a day to buy things. St. Bezos Day.<\/p>

It\u2019s quite interesting how unapologetic it is. Perhaps you could argue there is a procedural obligation on consumers to consume from commercial entities for commercial interests as part of some citizen duty, some share of money spent in order to keep business as usual on the up. We all depend on the economy<\/em>, some might say. If there were no downsides, this might even make sense.<\/p>

But pretending this kind of spend comes at no cost to the environment is not as easy as pretending it feels right. Given how close it is to Christmas, Black Friday can corrupt some things that really do matter more than money. There\u2019s a real reason traditions like giving family and friends gifts at Christmas have sustained themselves for so long: it\u2019s because we care.<\/p>

\"atlan0ibohwpv3ubf7uq7ntjdec0w7ttsbaget5ho0dvx9t2.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"But caring is not compatible with this kind of consumption, and friends-and-family connections don\u2019t monetise well. Yes, wrapping things or writing messages may slow down throughput, but replacing the bit where people give a shit with a tick box doesn\u2019t really have the same effect. If that\u2019s gone, and all we\u2019re left with is a sale, what\u2019s the point of the gift? It may as well be a donation to the economy.<\/p>

We wouldn\u2019t buy gifts just to give to the economy, would we?<\/p><\/blockquote>

If the reservoir of care drains out, the chore of buying is increasingly what we\u2019re left with: the feeling of having to buy stuff, on or before deadline X. Questioning whether we\u2019re obligated to continue with that, or do something different, is not beyond us. Humans got ourselves into it, so we can get ourselves out of it.<\/p>

After all, how Black Friday ended up in your mind is far closer to stupidity than malice. In a linear model where sellers buy things that are designed to be bought and thrown away, there is only one way to operate: speculate. Because mass-produced products are mostly made before they are ordered, lots of it never sells. Something like 40% in the fashion industry is overproduced. Excessive inventory needs to be turned into cash before it ends up in a skip, to make room for next year\u2019s stuff, so more and bigger sales are needed. Given that people need a lot of persuading to buy stuff they do not need, marketing needs to come up with something, and what better than a national day of buying?<\/p>

If that is profitable, then companies will do it again, and more of it. Fast forward to even faster fashion and a world where today\u2019s economy depends on runaway linear consumption with resources in one end and waste out the other even faster. If everything is based on products that are designed to be thrown away, then more sales will always be driven to sync up with the supply.<\/p>

Dancing to that tune will only last so long though, because as pollution builds up and the climate changes, we all know the music is going to stop.<\/p>

Let\u2019s face it, this part of the world is not working. In that context, putting a crescendo of consumption on the diary to celebrate seems about as appropriate as burning tyres to keep warm at a climate march.<\/p><\/blockquote>

If we are against that, what are we for? Alternatives are available. A few may work. One we know will.<\/p>

Whatever we do means going forward. We cannot go back. Buying half as much means half the waste, but that is still the same waste produced over two years instead of one. Buying less only buys time. The fundamental mechanism of the way things are made needs to be remade. Given all the stuff being sold around Black Friday is designed by really quite clever people who redesign loads of products each year, by next year it is not unreasonable to think they can be redesigned on a circular model, where the products are created from the start to come back and be remade when they are worn out. Why not? If a product is made from plastic, why not have it designed to be sent back when it is worn out and that plastic remanufactured into a new thing, a better form, for a future season? The circular model means buying things from companies that buy back their raw materials, where material stays in use and flows around in a loop. One without waste. That is an upside. A less Bleak Friday.<\/p>

\"1fnoy1fvmmh2ehdzq7iy0fajzkwmvkv7zvljqtn84jlg3oyu.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"All Rapanui products feature a QR code on the label that can be scanned to send them back to be remade.<\/em><\/p>

And the best thing about this proposal? It would mean products that are actually interesting and new for once. Not the same bigger screen and bigger camera, but a bigger vision for what the future of a sustainable world might look like. Not just products to buy for each other, but solutions for whole communities to buy into.<\/p>

It is easy to forget, but great products are about stories too. If it is well made, people care about how it is made. Building a circular supply chain for us meant working together stitch by stitch and thread by thread, through design and software and robots and from fields and farms through factories. To you.<\/p>

\"cmsarv4xzoyx9ovyatpa4onyrv8qyt8mvbicjgqglskpwrtd.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"<\/p>

And back again, because everything we make is designed from the start to return, be recovered, and be remade when it is worn out. Our circular system now goes beyond our own products: if you have worn-out organic cotton clothing from any brand, we will take it back, issue store credit, and keep that material flowing. It is about giving good fibres another life, cleaning up the mess before it becomes waste, and proving that a better system is possible when nothing is thrown away, only made again.<\/p>

This Black Friday, let\u2019s Take Back Friday.<\/p>

Send your worn-out clothing to us to be remade<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"take-back-christmas","url":"\/blog\/take-back-christmas\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/take-back-christmas\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/rapanuiclothing.com\/blog\/take-back-christmas\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":false,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1700574620,"updatedAt":1764062254,"publishedAt":1764062253,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":14,"name":"Rapanui"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yktzswi67cebhwhc6ayk5lddoolybfn64rvjpozx8qv2rtii.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yktzswi67cebhwhc6ayk5lddoolybfn64rvjpozx8qv2rtii.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/yktzswi67cebhwhc6ayk5lddoolybfn64rvjpozx8qv2rtii.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Take Back Christmas","metaDescription":"How we're taking back Friday.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":25067,"title":"What Is Circular Fashion?","url":"\/blog\/what-is-circular-fashion\/","urlTitle":"what-is-circular-fashion","division":14,"description":"Circular fashion means designing out waste before you even think about making the product; closing the loop and making it essential that the future worn-out product can be made into a new product.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kwgclp5nf51mcjs0ijtbh4wj1tlvlkn8vc8k8ahvymmaoiit.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/kwgclp5nf51mcjs0ijtbh4wj1tlvlkn8vc8k8ahvymmaoiit.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":17916,"title":"Through Water, the Wavelength of the World","url":"\/blog\/through-water-the-wavelength-of-the-world\/","urlTitle":"through-water-the-wavelength-of-the-world","division":14,"description":"We meet up with Rob and Katie as they prepare for a wild mission to relay-swim the Channel. The more we talk, the more we realise they had a story to share that goes deeper than a swimming challenge. It\u2019s a story about how through water, we can have experiences that are transformational. Sometimes in little ways, day to day. In other ways, it can change lives. To tell it, we need to take you to the Sea.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lls3fiu6gmugjf4rx20cg1kq2ikfpwjionnsfbxn4267c1hb.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lls3fiu6gmugjf4rx20cg1kq2ikfpwjionnsfbxn4267c1hb.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":46574,"title":"Finding joy in the chill with Bryony","url":"\/blog\/finding-joy-in-the-chill-with-bryony\/","urlTitle":"finding-joy-in-the-chill-with-bryony","division":14,"description":"The seasons shift from warmer days to colder ones. But for Bryony - a cold water swimmer, surfer, dog mum and outdoor enthusiast this season is far from gloomy. We caught up with her to talk about her approach to breaking winter's icy grip and finding joy in the blue space","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jr0bizxbtobd6zladrigpacckw8c5jr8js0nwxhj4yr5dusn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/jr0bizxbtobd6zladrigpacckw8c5jr8js0nwxhj4yr5dusn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}