“On Black Friday, we do things differently.” A statement we've been proud to make for the past five years: Since 2020, we've used Black Friday, the day with the highest reach for retailers, to take a stand for solidarity and humanity and against racism. Moved by the racist attacks in Hanau and the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, we too felt the need to express our stance and use the attention of Black Friday to raise awareness. In the first year, we closed our shop in its usual form, offering only a T-shirt with our statement, “We all walk the same earth.” In the following years, this message led to events, photo exhibitions, and products to strengthen awareness of our shared humanity on our planet. This stance and these values remain unchanged.
What has changed is the market situation in which we, as a streetwear retailer, operate. We are currently in extraordinary times that present us with new challenges. Since Asphaltgold was founded, the sneaker and streetwear industry has evolved. What began in 2008 out of passion has grown into an unpredictable—and, indeed, one can proudly say—success story, to which many partners, team members, and an incredibly loyal community and customer base have contributed. A niche product for sneakerheads has developed into a lifestyle product that is now indispensable. A product that is no longer just for enthusiasts and specialists, but also for major global players. This leads to a saturated market, fuller warehouses, and the pressure to clear these warehouses for upcoming deliveries. If necessary, this involves significant markdowns. Trends, driven by the impact of social media, are more fast-paced and unpredictable, making our purchasing process, which we conduct approximately 8-10 months before delivery, all the more challenging.
Drastic price cuts and sales in the market are now forcing us to join the price war to keep our internal processes running. Because one thing is clear – the passion we had in 2008 remains the same. We will continue working to put together a selection of special products with a story, product innovations from traditional brands, and curated lifestyle products – presented in an aesthetically pleasing, approachable environment that we aim to make accessible through our stores and events. We want to keep the sneaker and streetwear community alive.
Due to Black Friday 2025, we cannot dedicate our resources to our "We all walk the same earth." charity campaign and cannot accept monetary donations. Racism is not a temporary phenomenon. This is not just a phenomenon, but an ongoing problem in our society that requires attention. Especially at a time when politics divides people and discriminatory and racist tendencies can more easily take root, we want to ensure that our pause is not misinterpreted: We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and will continue to celebrate and strengthen the unity and diversity of our streetwear industry.
The goal is for us as a team to learn how to deal with the new market situation so that we can dedicate ourselves to truly relevant areas again in the future.
HISTORY
2020
Racism Sucks: In the year of the racist attack in Hanau and the Black Lives Matter movement, we felt it was important to use our voice and make a statement. On Black Friday 2020, our online shop was closed in its usual form; the selected range of sneakers and clothing was not available that day. Instead, both online and in-store, we offered only one T-shirt with a clear anti-racism message to raise awareness of the importance of living together on our planet. As our T-shirt says: We all walk the same earth.
2021
Following the success of our first Black Friday campaign, we lured customers to our online shop with an eye-catching advertisement. Once there, however, they weren't greeted with discounts, but rather confronted with the issue of racism. The 20% "discount" from each order was donated to the European Network Against Racism.
2022
Our message should reach everyone, so we designed 16 different T-shirts with our slogan "We all walk the same earth." in 15 different languages. The 16th shirt combined all the languages in one design.
2023
Covid made events and gatherings difficult. This gave us the opportunity to use the post-pandemic period to reunite physically: "We all dance the same earth." Music and dance connect people worldwide without the need for a common language. To symbolize "Unity," we designed a capsule collection and hosted an after-party on this special day, with all proceeds donated.
2024
This year, we let the images of 19 amazing photographers speak for themselves: Our Humanhood exhibition showcases interpretations of "Unity & Connection. Empathy & Compassion. Identity & Diversity." – moments that demonstrate what harmonious coexistence can look like.
THANK YOU
To everyone who has celebrated unity and diversity with us in recent years – with your help we were able to donate a total of €65,000 to our partner organizations:
Racism has no place in our world. We are committed to community and want to continue strengthening the diversity and cohesion that characterize and make our streetwear culture so special.
“On Black Friday, we do things differently.” A statement we've been proud to make for the past five years: Since 2020, we've used Black Friday, the day with the highest reach for retailers, to take a stand for solidarity and humanity and against racism. Moved by the racist attacks in Hanau and the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, we too felt the need to express our stance and use the attention of Black Friday to raise awareness. In the first year, we closed our shop in its usual form, offering only a T-shirt with our statement, “We all walk the same earth.” In the following years, this message led to events, photo exhibitions, and products to strengthen awareness of our shared humanity on our planet. This stance and these values remain unchanged.
What has changed is the market situation in which we, as a streetwear retailer, operate. We are currently in extraordinary times that present us with new challenges. Since Asphaltgold was founded, the sneaker and streetwear industry has evolved. What began in 2008 out of passion has grown into an unpredictable—and, indeed, one can proudly say—success story, to which many partners, team members, and an incredibly loyal community and customer base have contributed. A niche product for sneakerheads has developed into a lifestyle product that is now indispensable. A product that is no longer just for enthusiasts and specialists, but also for major global players. This leads to a saturated market, fuller warehouses, and the pressure to clear these warehouses for upcoming deliveries. If necessary, this involves significant markdowns. Trends, driven by the impact of social media, are more fast-paced and unpredictable, making our purchasing process, which we conduct approximately 8-10 months before delivery, all the more challenging.
Drastic price cuts and sales in the market are now forcing us to join the price war to keep our internal processes running. Because one thing is clear – the passion we had in 2008 remains the same. We will continue working to put together a selection of special products with a story, product innovations from traditional brands, and curated lifestyle products – presented in an aesthetically pleasing, approachable environment that we aim to make accessible through our stores and events. We want to keep the sneaker and streetwear community alive.
Due to Black Friday 2025, we cannot dedicate our resources to our "We all walk the same earth." charity campaign and cannot accept monetary donations. Racism is not a temporary phenomenon. This is not just a phenomenon, but an ongoing problem in our society that requires attention. Especially at a time when politics divides people and discriminatory and racist tendencies can more easily take root, we want to ensure that our pause is not misinterpreted: We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and will continue to celebrate and strengthen the unity and diversity of our streetwear industry.
The goal is for us as a team to learn how to deal with the new market situation so that we can dedicate ourselves to truly relevant areas again in the future.
HISTORY
2020
Racism Sucks: In the year of the racist attack in Hanau and the Black Lives Matter movement, we felt it was important to use our voice and make a statement. On Black Friday 2020, our online shop was closed in its usual form; the selected range of sneakers and clothing was not available that day. Instead, both online and in-store, we offered only one T-shirt with a clear anti-racism message to raise awareness of the importance of living together on our planet. As our T-shirt says: We all walk the same earth.
2021
Following the success of our first Black Friday campaign, we lured customers to our online shop with an eye-catching advertisement. Once there, however, they weren't greeted with discounts, but rather confronted with the issue of racism. The 20% "discount" from each order was donated to the European Network Against Racism.
2022
Our message should reach everyone, so we designed 16 different T-shirts with our slogan "We all walk the same earth." in 15 different languages. The 16th shirt combined all the languages in one design.
2023
Covid made events and gatherings difficult. This gave us the opportunity to use the post-pandemic period to reunite physically: "We all dance the same earth." Music and dance connect people worldwide without the need for a common language. To symbolize "Unity," we designed a capsule collection and hosted an after-party on this special day, with all proceeds donated.
2024
This year, we let the images of 19 amazing photographers speak for themselves: Our Humanhood exhibition showcases interpretations of "Unity & Connection. Empathy & Compassion. Identity & Diversity." – moments that demonstrate what harmonious coexistence can look like.
THANK YOU
To everyone who has celebrated unity and diversity with us in recent years – with your help we were able to donate a total of €65,000 to our partner organizations:
Racism has no place in our world. We are committed to community and want to continue strengthening the diversity and cohesion that characterize and make our streetwear culture so special.