Mar 4

Mar 4 Alexandra Suhner Isenberg - Founder, The Sleep Shirt

Alexandra is the founder and creative director at The Sleep Shirt, a Canadian company selling ethically made, size-inclusive sleepwear sourced from sustainable materials. The company started with one basic nightshirt design available in one size and two lengths, and within two years it transformed into a small business with a capsule collection of sleepwear, an online store, and a handful of great wholesale accounts. Ten years later, Alexandra and her team continue to put in the work, foster the vision and create quality apparel for women who refuse to sacrifice comfort.

The Basics:

Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Current city: Växjö, Sweden
Alma mater: Central Saint Martins, London
Degree: M.A., Fashion Design Womenswear
Very first job: Assistant Designer - Sonia Rykiel, a luxury knitwear brand in Paris that sadly folded
Hustle: Founder, The Sleep Shirt

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
Olivia, Wendy and Kelsey, the advocacy campaigners who run No White Saviors. I’ve been volunteering with them on an ad hoc basis since 2019 and I am consistently impressed by the work they do, the impact they have, and the people they help.

Best way to destress?
I de-stress by working on small sewing projects. This weekend I made my dog a winter jacket by repurposing a fleece-lined raincoat that one of my kids had grown out of.

What’s one item in your closet that you couldn’t live without?
My nightshirt, of course. I wear the Long Sleep Shirt.

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle, providing a summary of your roles and the work you do daily.
I’m the founder of a sleepwear and loungewear brand called The Sleep Shirt, which sells ethically made clothing that is size inclusive and made from sustainable materials. I’m the creative director but we are a small company, so my role includes design and production, but also customer service, marketing, graphic design, business development, and more. My day-to-day work involves the above, with lots of meetings and emails.

Have you always worked in the fashion industry?
I’ve always worked in the fashion industry, but in different areas: as an entrepreneur, a designer, in branding/marketing, and in the media. I became interested in the industry from a young age—I still have fashion illustrations I drew when I was 10! I don’t think I ever set out to be an entrepreneur, but rather found myself in the role because I had a great idea.

How did you first spark the idea for The Sleep Shirt? How long did it take to make your vision a reality?
The Sleep Shirt was based on a 19th century men’s chemise I found in a vintage market and thought would make a good nightshirt. I was right, and shortly after I designed a similar version which I put into production. The company started with one basic nightshirt design available in one size and two lengths, but within two years it had become a small business with a capsule collection of sleepwear, an online store, and a handful of great wholesale accounts.

What sets The Sleep Shirt apart from similar products in the industry?
There are a couple of things that make us stand out compared to other high end sleepwear brands. First, all of our products are ethically made in Canada, and we only use sustainable fabrics. Second, our range is size inclusive: it currently caters up to a 3X but the range will offer up to 4X in May and 5X in July. But in my opinion, the most important aspect of The Sleep Shirt is the product itself. Most of our range is designed as everyday luxury: good quality, long lasting pieces you can wear every day and wash easily. Our pieces are created as sleepwear but can be worn as daywear, loungewear, or resort wear, and we pride ourselves on making clothing that’s not only comfortable but also modern, stylish, and easy to wear. You don’t feel uncomfortable wearing one of our nightshirts over breakfast with your in-laws or opening the door to room service.

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
The course director of the M.A. in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins was notorious for being very demanding and hard on her students. She taught us to defend our work when we were facing criticism, and if we couldn’t defend it, then it wasn’t worth presenting. This is a valuable skill to have. My experience in the industry prior to starting The Sleep Shirt taught me about production, which is so important in a fashion company but not something you can learn well in school since so much of it is about relationships with the factories themselves. While I feel like I was well prepared by my education and my previous experience, I am disappointed that Central Saint Martins doesn’t have a proper alumni network. Graduates from the fashion course there are employed in top companies all around the world yet we don’t network in an official way. The Ivy League schools do this well and it’s a real shame that my school doesn’t.

What causes are you passionate about and how have you incorporated philanthropy into your company?
As a company, we have decided to focus primarily on charitable causes that are local to us, and that support vulnerable people. We frequently donate to a local women’s shelter (the Howe Sound Women’s Shelter in Squamish, BC) and we have also donated to charities that support Indigenous youth, LGBTQ+ people, and black communities, either locally or across Canada. During the pandemic we also ran a few campaigns where we gave donations to Food Banks Canada, as food insecurity has increased a great deal since early 2020. As mentioned above, in my spare time I also work for No White Saviors, which is another organization whose causes I am very fond of.

Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
One person worth noting right now is Aja Barber, who has been a very important voice in the world of sustainable fashion—I am grateful for the work she does. But mostly I am impressed with the millions of women behind the scenes making this industry what it is. They don’t get enough recognition.

How do you balance the responsibilities of your business with your role as a mom? What unique experiences and/or challenges has this posed?
Nothing surprising here: I have high quality, affordable childcare and a partner who shares the workload. If every woman had access to this and demanded their partner did half of the unpaid labour that keeps the household and family going, then the world would be a very different place.

How do you rest, recharge and find inspiration?
My personal Instagram feed is mostly dogs, minimalist home decor, friends (and a bit of politics) which sums up how I rest, recharge, and find inspiration. I’m obsessed with lighting right now since it is one of the few expensive home décor items I can buy and know it won’t get wrecked by my kids – because they can’t reach it! I also have a husky mutt named Wanda who I am very in love with and who keeps me grounded.

Career and/or life advice for other babes (both inside and outside of your industry?)
Hiring people you trust takes precedence over having the perfect skillset. I would not be where I am if I wasn’t surrounded by a team that I can rely on. Also, if you want to have kids with someone, make sure they’re prepared to share the work—for real. Do not waste time with people who aren’t going to get their hands dirty.

Connect with The Sleep Shirt:

Instagram / Email

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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