California Apparel News

Bucking business as usual on Black Friday, Z Supply, LLC, an Irvine, Calif.–headquartered fashion house, will not do business at its direct-to-consumer channel, www.zsupplyclothing.com, for a 24-hour period on Nov. 29.

Instead, the company will direct sales to its retail partners and request that its customers donate to nonprofits that will be listed on its home page on Black Friday, said Mandy Fry, Z Supply’s president.

Z Supply sells brands such as its namesake label, Z Supply, as well as Rag Poets, White Crow and Others Follow. Its Black Friday home page will direct sales to retail partners such as M. Fredric in Los Angeles, Ambiance in San Francisco, Mixology in New York and Evereve, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn.

The Z Supply home page also will provide links to nonprofits such as Casa Gal, which helps to give foster youth permanent homes; Breast Cancer Angels, which provides support to those fighting breast cancer; and Wildlife Alliance, which provides protection and support to forests and wildlife in Southeast Asia.

“We’re excited to have people join us for a new kind of Black Friday, one that supports local businesses in the community as well as amazing charities that are making our world a better place to live,” Fry said. The statement marks the first time that zsupplyclothing.com will not do business on Black Friday.

Retailers have been criticized in the past for doing business on Thanksgiving, the day before Black Friday. Consumers often line up in front of stores Thanksgiving night to get a jump on deals. Many retailers have taken an opportunity to serve this group. But the retailers have received critiques that have ranged from forcing salespeople to work on a family-oriented holiday to diverting attention on what was once a day where commerce took a backseat to community.

A number of retailers vowed to remain closed on Thanksgiving, including REI Co-op, Dillard’s and H&M.