INTERVIEW #105 MIDNATT
Based in: Stockholm
Founded in: 2017
Founded by: Josephine Blix and Louisa Hammarbäck
Stores: Midnatthome.com, ships internationally. And via physical retail stores and webshops all around Europe.
Instagram: @midnatt.official
Hi Midnatt, we are so happy to introduce our community to the first-ever home textile brand here on A Sustainable Closet. Tell us about your story and why you started Midnatt?
After many years as co-workers on a Stockholm-based interior magazine (we are both journalists at heart), we wanted to create the brand we were missing out there. A sustainable and inspiring home textile company with a kind price range for a broad audience of interior enthusiasts.
Like many other brands, you are on a journey to become even more sustainable!
Yes. As a small player, it has been essential to lean on an independent third party responsible for review and quality control. GOTS, or Global Organic Textile Standard, is the leading player in the certification of organic fibres, so the goal has always been to have all our products GOTS-certified. We like that GOTS includes the ecological aspects of production and social, that is, working conditions within production.
How are you working with sustainability today and what makes your product a better choice?
Since our launch in 2017, Midnatt has used GOTS-certified organic cotton in all products except for our latest drop, a collection made of recycled cotton. Since 2021, the entire production chain has also been GOTS-certified; the last link was for our small office in Stockholm to become certified, now a check in the box! We can now put a GOTS label on all new products!
How and where are the products produced, where do you source the material from?
We have our production in Tamil Nadu in India, where textile production and cotton cultivation occur close to each other. We work with a small family-owned sewing factory where the new generation is leading their transition into GOTS-certified production. They source the fabric and dyeing from local producers, all GOTS-certified. We then transport all products to Europe by sea. Since the cotton and fabric are produced in the same area as the rest of our production, transportation is kept to a minimum.
Your best-selling product?
Right now our Cobalt blue bedding, Siesta, and our embroidered napkins! Historically, our bedding in dusty pink, called Wilted, is a bestseller that keeps topping our lists year after year.
Where do you find inspiration?
Fashion, food, family, and friends! Everything that makes life pretty. How come they all start with an F?!
What have been and are the major challenges?
To maintain an even stock and secure liquidity. Running out of products during crucial sales months with long lead times from the manufacturer and time-consuming sea shipping can be... a bit stressful.
What has been and is the largest gain?
That we have drawn a loyal and steady fan club since day one, lots of people out there seem to like what we do, and so far, all of our ideas are flying! As individuals, we also have the opportunity to live and maintain a sustainable lifestyle, meaning we choose when and how much we work. It's a life-changing move, and we do not envy friends and family that need to clock in. This way, work is almost always driven by joy.
What do you think needs to change in the home textile/decoration industry to make it more sustainable?
Products need to be made to last and trends need to slow down.
The best thing about Midnatt?
We've created this kind and beautiful lifestyle brand for us to live and work with.
What's up next, do you have anything fun to share with our readers?
We are releasing a new pastel-ish green bedding. It's a funny story because it was our first-ever sample colour. We hated it back then, haha. But when we found it in a forgotten box a few months back, we thought it was pretty genius. Hope you'll like it! Also, this summer, our most popular gingham, and striped tablecloths and napkins will return, making your sunset dining parties amazing again. Oh, and there will also be new baby blue tablecloths and napkins - with super cute embroideries.