We recently connected with Brodie Peteran, founder and designer behind the Toronto-based ethical fashion label Modern Sunday, and have shared our conversation below.

Brodie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

Modern Sunday was built from our vision for a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry. Our goal is not just to create beautiful clothing, but rather to leave a positive impact on the planet. To us, that means reducing our waste in every way possible, using natural and deadstock fibres, having everything made to order in Canada, and ensuring every employee is paid a living wage.

These values are central to everything we do, and compromising on them is not an option for us. However, as we began to grow, we realized that some of these things were going to be trickier to implement long-term.

Our first major hurdle happened as soon as we launched our first clothing collection, which was made from 90% deadstock fabric. Using deadstock fabric is a great way to reduce textile waste from ending up in landfills, while providing unique, one-of-a-few garments to our customers. But we had seriously underestimated the demand, and 2 of our fabrics completely sold out during the first few hours of the pre-sale. And while that was a very exciting ‘pinch me’ moment, we realized that not being able to restock was going to be an issue. Especially when we had invested so much time, money, and resources into the photoshoot and fabric sourcing.

While using sustainable fabrics is still central to our brand, we have started to move away from small-batch deadstock fabrics, and only purchase deadstock if we can buy at least one full roll of the fabric. We love the limited edition aspect to it, but we also want to make sure we’re able to give our customers what they want. We are still committed to using 100% natural fibres, and opt for OEKO-Tex or GOTS Organic fabrics whenever possible.

After all, our goal is always to leave the planet better than we found it, and by being conscious of where our materials come from, we are able to reduce waste and minimize our (and our customers’) environmental impact.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Of course! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer. I designed my very first clothing collection for a school project in the 4th grade, and never looked back. My parents also both work in creative industries, so I was always encouraged to follow my passion, and they have supported me so much along the way, which I’m very grateful for.

After graduating from University with a Bachelor of Design, I began working for a major Canadian fashion brand, which at the time felt very exciting and glamorous. But I soon came to realize just how harmful the fast fashion industry could be, and my work no longer felt aligned with my values.

Now, I’m more aware than ever of the negative impact of fast fashion on our environment, and I want to do something about it. Through my own journey to living a more minimal and sustainable lifestyle, I found a way to use my skills to make a positive difference, without leaving the world of fashion.

Our brand story started in August 2020 as a response to the massive amounts of single-use waste that resulted from the pandemic. It seemed that our city was littered with single-use masks, and I knew there had to be a solution. What started as a passion project during the pandemic has grown into something bigger than I ever could have imagined.

For us, it was never just about designing beautiful clothing. It was about merging our passion for design with the desire to leave a positive impact on the planet. We are proud to create elevated wardrobe essentials that transition from midday to midnight without skipping a beat.

My goal has always been to make women feel as good about the clothes as they do in them, because I believe we shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for sustainability.

Today, Modern Sunday is stocked in 4 physical retail spaces throughout Canada, and available to shop via 2 independent online marketplaces, as well as our own web shop.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have always loved reading, but since starting the business, I’ve found myself reading a lot more books about entrepreneurship, mindset, and leadership. Since my background is mainly in Fashion, I’ve learned a lot about running a business through reading (and trial and error).

A few of the most impactful books I’ve read this year are Atomic Habits by James Clear, Company of One by Paul Jarvis, and What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz. Atomic Habits puts into perspective the idea of just getting a tiny bit better each day. By ‘habit stacking’, you can consciously mould yourself into the type of person you want to be, in any area of your life.

What You Do Is Who You Are was really interesting to learn about how to build a good company culture, which looks different for every founder and every business. Culture really can make or break a company, so being able to clearly define what you want it to look like, and take actionable steps to demonstrate it to your employees is extremely valuable. Especially in the early stages of a business, when you shift from just the core founders to hiring your first few employees, this was a great read to set yourself (and the company) up for success.

And lastly, Company of One may be one of my favourite business books I’ve ever read. In a world where we are so bombarded with other people’s success stories, and seemingly infinite growth, it was refreshing to hear about how you can build a successful company while still keeping it small. One of the best parts about being a founder is that you get to define what success looks like to you. For some that may look like selling a company in a multi-billion dollar deal, and for others it may look like taking every Friday off to spend with your family. It’s important to get clear on your definition of success, and then you can work towards it!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Definitely! Actually, it was critical that we pivoted to get to where we are today.

We started out making face masks during covid, and although I’m very grateful for being able to take advantage of the opportunity, we of course had to pivot once masks were being slowly phased out. Instead of shutting down, I realized that I had built a small community of people who truly cared about the environment, shopping local, and supporting women-owned businesses.

So I took a chance, and decided to launch a capsule clothing collection to test the market. I figured I had nothing to lose, and it was something I had always dreamed of doing, before getting sucked into the corporate fashion world. After nine months of selling exclusively face masks and matching accessories, I launched our first clothing collection in May 2021, and people really loved it!

Since then, we have continued to grow and expand our offering, while staying true to our original core values of Sustainability, Innovation, Integrity, and Community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.modernsundaythelabel.com
• Instagram: @modernsunday.thelabel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernsundaythelabel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brodiepeteran/

Image Credits
Photographers: Aysia Lanae @south_ofjune Patrick De Ala @pattysfilms Anna Christine @annachristine.photo Models: Jasmine @jazzybriggz Violet @violetdely Jamila @thats_awesomee Cat @catrinaalynna Sarah @sarah_norian