Clean Beauty Q&A with Danielle Wu, CEO/Founder of More Sunday

Models in the image above are wearing More Sunday pajamas.

Danielle Wu is founder and CEO of More Sunday, which offers eco-friendly pajamas that are beautiful enough to wear outside your home! Made of 100% Real Silk, the pajamas' fabric is free of toxic chemicals that are often found on clothing textiles.

In fact, More Sunday pajamas are made of silk that is OEKO-TEX 100 certified; meaning, they have been tested by a third-party to ensure More Sunday is not using harmful chemicals, pesticides, or metals in creating each garment. So you can enjoy more peace of mind, knowing that your More Sunday silk pajamas are not transferring harmful agents through your skin dermis. Learn more below.

And Danielle has generously provided a unique promo code for you only: NONTOXIC10 (We're the first community to enjoy a promo code.) It is valid through July 31st for 10% off your entire order. Enter the promo code at checkout. You can use this link so the promo is automatically applied. https://moresunday.com/discount/NONTOXIC10

—Sophia Ruan Gushée

Q: Why did you start More Sunday? And what is your background.

A: More Sunday is about remembering to take care of yourself while getting the most out of your day. Like many people, I’m a person who tries to do it all but often at the expense of healthy habits. In 2017 I was hit with a double wakeup call when two of my closest loved ones were diagnosed with cancer. It left me with two important takeaways. The first being that life can be unexpectedly short and the second is that I wanted to take better care of myself and the world around me in order to live a healthy life.

While I grew up in California, I made my way to NYC as soon as I graduated from college to be part of the electrifying energy coursing through the city and the people there. I excelled quickly in my career specializing in digital and ecommerce growth for several large brands, with my latest role helping to run an over 800+ Global Marketing Team for American Express Commercial Services. 

I had so much fun travelling and working with all the teams but eventually I wanted those late nights building toward a greater mission and more balanced lifestyle. I moved back to California to spend more time with family and to build a brand that solves one of my biggest problems, which is quality and functional sleepwear that makes me feel as beautiful as in lingerie but that I can actually be seen in public in. Reminiscent of my always-on-the-go New Yorker days the pieces are made to be as beautiful as they are Multi-Functional.

Q: What are eco-friendly textiles? 

A: When evaluating eco-friendliness of textiles, I like to look at it in 3 different stages - impact on the environment to get the product to you, impact of product when in use, and impact of product post-use.  

1. Getting the product to you. 
• Eco-friendly textiles strive to vertically integrate as much as possible to reduce the wasted gas and energy needed to get the textile from factory to factory. Traditional models have 1 factory provide raw materials, 1 spin the fiber, 1 dye the fiber, and 1 cut and sew the fabric into a finished product. 
• Eco-friendly textiles are made from natural dyes and do not take on any more finishes that are harmful to you and the environment. During dyeing and finishing, tons of water and toxic chemicals and dyes are used creating waste that flows straight into our oceans. Non-iron, non-wrinkle finishes are all made possible only by chemical treatment and washes. 
• A common misconception is that cotton is eco-friendly but you have to remember that a catastrophic amount of pesticides are used to grow cotton which also flows straight into our oceans. 

2. Product in your hands. 

• Eco-friendly textiles are made of organic materials that do no harm in the wash. Most of our textiles these days are made of polyester which is a plastic which is made of crude oil. For all the reasons we are stopping use of single use plastics, we should do the same with our clothes. Those same chemicals we don’t want to ingest are the same we should prevent being absorbed through our skin. Each time we wash a polyester clothing item micro-fibers fall off which are too fine for our water filtrations to catch. What goes in the ocean ends up back in us. These microfibers are ingested by fish, which are then eaten by us. 

3. Post product Use. 

• Eco-friendly textiles minimize the footprint we leave after use. Wool, Cotton, Silk, are natural and will eventually biodegrade when we discard them. Textiles made of polyester stay on our planet forever and add to our problem. 
• Clothing made of recycled plastic is good but will continue to add plastics to our oceans and landfills. 

Q: What is so special about wearing pajamas that are made of 100% silk? 

A: Silk is traditionally known as a luxury fabric made for special occasions, but I’m here to change that by adding it to your everyday. We spend at least 1/3^rd of our lives in pajamas (but if you’re anything like me, it’s the first thing you change into when you get home…So closer to ½ of your life!)  While I’d promote everyone to wear silk all the time to minimize your contact with irritating chemicals, this takes care of minimizing contact for at least half of your life!  

Silk’s smooth texture can also make anyone feel sexy without having to be revealing. It can also help you get a better nights rest. It is naturally hypo-allergenic and temperature regulating so no more being itchy or too hot or too cold. Additionally, silk has 18-amino acids that help to sooth and regenerate your skin. I like to think of it as skincare for your body. 

Q: Is all 100% silk the same? Are there concerns if the silk is from China? 

Q: Silk is not all made equal! Silk can be made distinct by 3 different qualities. They can be classified by the type of animal it is from, how thick the silk threads are woven, and how they are knit or woven together. There are different types of silk such as mulberry, mussel, and spider silks. The most typical type of silk is mulberry silk.

Then, there are different thicknesses which is called momme count. Typical lingerie is made with 16 momme fabric but for a more quality and discreet feel. I chose 19 momme for More Sunday.

Lastly, there is the way that it is fabricated. Typically we are used to seeing woven silks (think basket weave) which can be satin, or charmeuse giving it one side that is shiny and the other that is matte. I have recently discovered knitted silks (think knit sweaters) which give you all the benefits of silk but because of how it is fabricated it provides a natural stretchiness and a matte finish. 

With many really good and high end polyester silks in the market, you have to be careful to check the authenticity wherever you buy it from. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough regulations on clothing labeling or marketing so you can never be too sure the fabric you’re getting is authentic. One way to check your silk is authentic is to burn it. If it burns with a white flame and only has a powdery ash residue it is real.

We suggest that you buy from brands you trust. Also watch out for marketing tactics that mislead you by saying things like “100% Satin”. Satin is not actually a material, but a way to weave fabric. It should trigger an alarm bell in your head indicating that it is polyester. At More Sunday we are proud to have partnered with a factory that is OEKO-TEX 100 certified meaning they have undergone testing to ensure they are not using any harmful chemicals, pesticides, or metals in creating each garment so that you can shop confidently knowing that our Silk Pajamas are not transferring any harmful agents through your skin dermis. 

Q: What routines/habits/tips help you get a really good night sleep? 

A good sleep mask and noise cancelling head phones work wonders. My favorite trick is using essential oils about 30 minutes before bed time. I mix Healing Solutions Good Sleep at Night Essential Oil and mix it with carrier oil which I rub between my hands, inhale 3 deep breaths and rub around my neck, temples and behind my ears.  

I also make sure to turn my cellphone to automatically emit yellow light after 7pm so that my brain is not stimulated by the blue light emissions. I am also careful to block out as much light in my bedroom as possible and sleep with a 100% silk sleep mask to be sure morning light does not wake me up earlier than I want.   

Q: June is our Beauty Detox theme with special emphasis on the morning routine: products for hair, mouth/teeth, nails, and other things. Do you have favorite practically nontoxic products that you'd like to share? Or just favorite products that work really well that's worthwhile for you to choose even if they're conventional products? 

A: One natural product I’ve recently switched up is my toothpaste! My dentist explained to me that any toothpaste that has a “whitening” claim is harmful for your gum line so I’ve switched to natural toothpaste by Trader Joe’s. It uses Fennel, Propolis and Myrrh to prevent Plaque buildup.   

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