SUNAD shirts are the latest addition to our fail-safe
travel wardrobe. Although founded by two madrileñas, Paloma Canut
and Ana Marroquín, it wasn’t until they left home for university
that they met each other. They were eventually drawn back to
Madrid where they joined forces to
set their dreams in motion.

The shirt-only brand began as a passion project with a focus on
revitalising the Spanish textile industry. While that remains at
the core of their ethos, they are also a strong proponent of slow
fashion. The designers and co-founders feel a deeply rooted
connection to nature which extends beyond their choice in
materials. Their muted tones are inspired by the subtle hues of
natural landscapes and the silhouettes take inspiration from
explorer attire. The masculine forms leeway to an understand
femininity with delicate fabrics and soft colours, their looks
expanding upon the Marrakech-inspired
YSL collection from the 1970s. Canut and Marroquín stick to what
they know best – and so have perfected their craft.

Name:

SUNAD

Designers:

Paloma Canut and Ana Marroquín

Origin:

Madrid, Spain

Homebase:

Madrid, Spain

Type of brand:

Sustainable fashion

Where can we find your designs?

On
our website as well as at various boutiques around the
world.

Who is the ideal Sunad customer?

An adventurous women who values quality over quantity.

How did you come up with the name for your brand?

We love deserts. All our shirts are named after one, and for
that reason we had to relate the name of the brand to the desert.
Sunad is “dunas” – the Spanish word for dunes – backwards.

What are you inspired by?

Nature and women.

Are there any films which have inspired your brand?

Yes! The movie “Mogambo” inspired our AW17 collection; “Out of
Africa” inspired our iconic Sahara shirt and Sofia Coppola’s movies
are inspiring in their colourways.

From season to season, in what ways do you keep consistency in
your designs and what changes do you make?

We always work with 100% natural fabrics and produce everything
in Spain. Each season we also create a garment that is not a shirt
but is inspired by one. For example, in our spring/summer
collection we created the Tamani jumpsuit and the Sonora jacket in
the autumn/winter.

How would you describe Madrid’s style?

Classic and stylish.

Where should we shop in Madrid?

DoDesign, Pez, El paracaidista, Laonpottery, Abbatte.

Where’s next on your bucket list?

The Namib Desert and The Dallol volcano in Ethiopia.

How does your clothing articulate your Spanish identity?

When we’re deciding on colours for our collections we can’t help
but end up choosing ones found in Spain’s nature. Our SS18
collection is inspired by the south of Spain.

Why is it important to you to support the Spanish textile
industry?

Spain has always had a very strong textile history, however due
to cheaper prices found abroad the local industry is slowly dying.
For that reason, we want to help our country’s history and
traditions as much as possible.

What did you do professionally before breaking into
fashion?

Paloma worked as a graphic designer and Ana worked in interior
design.

How do these fields affect your work now?

Both fields are very visual and creative and helped us a lot in
storytelling. We also used different creative tools that we now
apply in our business.

What is your relationship with nature?

We both love hiking and try to be in touch with nature as much
as possible. We’ve also started planting an orchard at the
office.

How do you incorporate these values into your clothing
brand?

We’re a paperless company; all our packaging is recyclable and
we only work with 100% natural fabrics.

As a consumer, what is our responsibility to the planet and how
do we make more sustainable choices?

We have to stop consuming so much and start thinking about
quality over quantity. We also have to be more conscious of what we
buy, asking ourselves where it was made, what it’s made out of and
who made it.

How does sustainability affect your price point?

We try to keep our prices as low as possible in order to show
people that you can purchase a sustainable garment made from
high-quality fabrics at a fair price.

Do you plan to expand SUNAD beyond shirts?

There’s no plan to expand beyond shirts but we want to do
menswear in the near future.