Sunday Monday is on a mission to provide you with colorful and ethically sourced fabrics

Textile brand Sunday/Monday was started with a mission to create beautiful, handmade pieces like scarves and bandanas that have a low impact on the environment.

Video transcript

- The clothing industry is responsible for 10% of the planet's carbon emissions each year. Some companies are ditching fast fashion and working to create timeless and sustainable pieces, and we are 100% here for that.

[INTRO MUSIC]

Hi, I'm Crystal, and this is In The Know-- Sustainability Week, where we'll be looking at different companies that choose to put the planet first. Today, we're looking at Sunday Monday-- really cool brand that's partnering directly with weavers and block printers in India to create bandanas, scarves, and home textiles that have a low impact on the environment and the workers that produce them. Let's talk to their co-founder, Nisha. Nisha, I'm so excited to have you here today.

NISHA MIRANI: Thank you so much for having me.

- One of the first things I want to talk about is what is Sunday Monday? And what is the mission that drives it?

NISHA MIRANI: Sunday Monday is the textile brand based in New York and India. We create timeless, handmade textiles for you and your home. We partnered directly with weavers and block printers. And so our work is informed by these traditional Indian textile production techniques, as well as the rich design cultures of my Indian background and my partner's Japanese background.

- Can you tell me a little bit more about your background? And how that informed your decision into founding Sunday Monday?

NISHA MIRANI: In 2016, I was traveling in India with my family, and we were in the Kutch region of Gujarat-- the state from where my family is from. And I was buying some rugs and talking to the weavers, and we had a very candid conversation about their struggles to keep their business going. I had just completed a design program in Los Angeles, so I offered up my marketing and design skills. And that's how Sunday Monday was born.

- So you make-- it's textiles, so it's not just bandanas. What else do you make?

NISHA MIRANI: We make bandanas and long scarves, which you have in your hand. And then we also do table linens such as napkins and table runners, pillow covers, throw blankets, and hand-woven rugs.

- What are these scarves made of?

NISHA MIRANI: We like to stick to natural fibers, which are also less harmful to the environment. So the scarf you have in your hand is a silk-cotton blend-- 25% silk. And that's also what makes it really, really soft on your skin. As someone who is Indian American, I want to really bring attention to the fact that these practices have existed in places like India or Mexico or Morocco, where a lot of textiles are made, for a long time. They didn't have the label sustainable or green. The Western world started paying attention to those things and using it for marketing, but a lot of these practices are indigenous to those regions.

- Sunday Monday is such a cool name. What does it mean, and where did it come from?

NISHA MIRANI: So again, when I was traveling in India and doing some textiles shopping myself, a salesperson used that term to describe a blanket with a reversible pattern, so you can use either side as the top. And it really stayed with me. A, because it's catchy and cute and memorable, but also because our intention with Sunday Monday is that our textiles have duality. They're multi-functional because that also adds to the sustainability. We don't want you to get tired of wearing the bandana, and then you donate or throw it out. It can be a piece of art on your wall. You can use it to wrap a gift in the Japanese furoshiki style.

- What do you think is next for Sunday Monday?

NISHA MIRANI: We'd love to experiment with other techniques such as embroidery and tie-dye, which are big in India. India is a really diverse and large country, and it's so rich in traditional crafts that I have yet to explore and learn about. Additionally, I'd love to contribute to some sort of initiative that trains more women to work in textiles. Right now, it's a male-dominated industry there actually, so I would love to--

- I did not know that.

NISHA MIRANI: Yeah, I would love to be able to give more work to women and allow them to be financially independent. Finally, I'd love to collaborate more with artists and brands and designers that we look up to and expand our product range hopefully.

- Nisha, thank you so much. It was so wonderful to talk to you today. We cannot wait to see what else Sunday Monday has in store.

NISHA MIRANI: Thank you. It's really great talking with you.

- It's amazing how Sunday Monday was able to create such beautiful pieces while incorporating rich traditions and keeping with sustainable practices. I can't wait to rock these. Can I get some wind? You know what I mean? Like blow it.