Slow friday – About opening a fair fashion concept store

Our author Polina talked to Hannah and Hendrik, the founders of slow friday before the COVID-19 virus. It’s a wonderful and interesting interview, but it felt like not ​“up to date” anymore. So we sent them a few questions about their current situation and how they are coping with the lockdown of their physical store and added their answers at the end of the interview. Enjoy this read!

It was only last year that slow friday opened their doors, but they are already being greatly appreciated by fair fashion supporters. Slow friday is a fair fashion store located in Berlin Mitte and was opened in May 2019. We’ve talked to the shop owners Hannah and Hendrik about how it feels to be new in the fair fashion scene and how they run their business.

Why did you decide to open your own fair fashion store?

Hendrik: We have always been interested in the issues of sustainability. Fair fashion is a part of it and so far, it still seems to be a niche topic. We, ourselves, stopped shopping fast fashion step by step. It has been a long way and we realized how hard it is to change your own habits. We wanted to share our experience with other people and make it easier for them to start with fair fashion, make it more visible and accessible.

Hannah: You can’t make this change towards fair fashion in one day, it’s a journey. I think that’s really important to understand and take into account once you want to start your own business within this market. We gave it a try because we saw an opportunity to facilitate the way towards conscious consumerism. The first step is the hardest to make, then it gets easier. There are many beautiful things you can discover on this journey.

Becoming a conscious consumer might be hard, but how hard is it to start your own fair fashion business?

Hannah: I can certainly say that nothing really works the way you planned. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. We are not even one year old, we are a ​“baby shop” and so far it has been a very rewarding experience. We are happy! And other fair fashion and upcycling stores are really nice to us, which is really helpful. We already made some good connections on this market, and we don’t see each other as competitors. Fast fashion shops are our enemies, after all.

And you are surrounded by enemies! How do you like your location?

Hannah: This area is very interesting because, as you might have noticed, we have some big fast fashion stores literally next door. But I think it’s good that our shop is located here and we have a chance to offer an alternative. We also have been very warmly welcomed in this neighbourhood. Locals are happy to have a fair fashion store right here. Plus, there are many tourists here, some of them just walk by and come in, they are curious to see something different.

That was actually my next question: who are your clients and how do people usually find you?

Hendrik: We have a very diverse group of customers.Some people already know a lot about fair fashion and don’t need any help, others ask many questions. We are always happy to talk about the brands we present here, in fact, some of them have great stories. For example, EYD, it is a brand that supports women who survived human trafficking. We like labels like that, they truly stand out.

Hannah: Recently a German TV comedy show (Heute-show) covered the topic of fast fashion and now many people are coming and asking questions based on that. Sometimes we talk to our clients for hours. Other people come here because they don’t want to talk, they just want to shop somewhere responsibly.

You already mentioned one label you work with. How do you choose the brands you present here in the shop?

Hannah: We definitely have some knock-out selection criteria. Of course, we would never feature any brand which didn’t convince us that it is sustainable and fair. Transparency is very important for us, especially when it comes to smaller brands. Some of them are not able to afford certifications, as it is too pricey for them, but they still deserve to be presented. In this case, it’s very important to be able to find out where they produce, what are their work conditions and so on. We try to be sensitive and support small brands as much as we can.

Do you work mainly with local labels?

Hendrik: We mainly work with brands from Germany. Some labels approach us personally, but we also love to go to fairs and discover new things.

Do you think it’s important to take part in fairs or, for instance, in global movements such as Fashion Revolution?

Hannah: Yes, I think it’s really important to realize that the problems we are dealing with are global. Environmental issues are interconnected and the fast fashion industry is extremely harmful to the environment. Luckily young people are becoming more and more aware of this. We, for instance, take part in the global climate justice movement. We go to the demonstrations and join activism wherever we can. We all must be activists!

Why do you think some people still don’t see this connection between fashion and environmental problems?

Hannah: Fast fashion brands invest a lot into advertising, they make customers feel comfortable with their choices. For some people it’s also a habit, it’s very hard to change it. There is also a lot of prejudice about fair fashion, the idea of the so-called ​“eco look”, there still is something negative about it. One thing we can do is to make sure that stores and products are accessible to everyone in all their variety and diversity. People have to connect to fair fashion on an emotional level. Unfortunately, fast fashion brands also do a lot so that customers can feel this emotional connection to their products.

Hendrik: Another issue is greenwashing. Many fast fashion brands use such terms as sustainability to promote their products. I think what we really need here in Germany is a ​“Lieferkettengesetz”, it is a supply chain law. From my point of view, that would be a game-changer.

Hannah: The fair fashion industry is developing, new things are happening, they are more and more covered by the media. Awareness is definitely rising. It’s a slow process. but well, we love slow things, too

Speaking of slow things, how did you come up with your store name?

Hendrik: Slow friday is kind of an opposite to the black friday – the pinnacle of reckless consumerism and everything we reject. The world ​“slow” is related to green or sustainable, it is something we can identify with very much. When you do things slowly – you do them consciously and thoroughly. That’s how you make good products and good decisions.

How are you doing these days?

It’s hard to believe that it’s only been three weeks since we last talked. COVID-19 has changed everything. We’re all worried about our loved ones and we all do what we can to slow down the infection rate. Fair fashion is based on solidarity, so there is no question for us about closing our store. But still, we have monthly expenses and we have to pay our suppliers for items we ordered months ago. So this could finish us pretty quickly. We are doing everything we can so that won’t happen. One thing that lets us hope is the way the fair fashion family is pulling together – we all know that we’re in this together.

What kind of steps did you take to cope with this situation?

We’ve been trying to keep up to date on funds we can apply for to stabilize our financial situation. And we also used the last few days to complete our online shop. It cannot replace our store. But we want to offer what we have in stock: our selection of fair fashion pieces of the spring and summer season. And if people don’t feel like shopping right now, they can support us with a voucher. Now we will start renovating and see how far we get.

Do you think the lock down because of COVID-19 will lead to a change in consumerism and local shops will get greater support in the future?

That would be great, of course! Sometimes you only know what you’ve got when it’s gone. There is a lot of support now, and it’s heartwarming that people are thinking of this aspect of public life in these difficult times.

But we have to be really careful, too: with public attention on COVID-19, the Lieferkettengesetz has been quietly pushed back. And the fast fashion lobby has already demanded canceling the carbon tax due to the crisis. So we have to watch out and not be too optimistic.

slow friday is located in Berlin Mitte, Gormannstraße 25, 10119 and we warmly recommend you to visit Hannah & Hendrik as soon as it is possible again, until then you find them online www​.slowfriday​.de. You can also support them by buying a voucher via helfen.berlin or kaufnebenan​.de.