The Quality Makers: Sarah Szeto of Sunday Edition
Founder Sarah Szeto; Credit: Sunday Edition
Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.
Welcome to The Quality Makers, an interview series highlighting pioneers in the direct-to-consumer space. Join us as we get an inside look at the world of digital shopping through the eyes of the individuals shaping it…
Born to Chinese parents and raised in Vancouver, Sarah Szeto is now based in NYC. After pursuing a Fashion degree at Parsons, Sarah relocated to Tokyo, and spent 5 years there working for Uniqlo. She got to witness the craftsmanship, the art, the attention to detail, and the beautiful designs Japan offered, working her way from assistant to designer and eventually to lead designer of her own category: loungewear and intimates.
Unfortunately, work life balance in Tokyo left Sarah burnt out and missing her creative side, so she took a year off to travel in Europe & Southeast Asia. When she finally came back to NYC, and found some time to slow down, Sarah eventually brought all she learned and experienced to the creation of Sunday Edition: an artisanal aromatherapy brand born from a deep desire to slow down, live intentionally and connect with nature. Shaped with an artist’s heart and a designer’s eye, these creations feature thoughtful ingredients hand-selected for their olfactory beauty and therapeutic benefits. Nature speaks through each scent, and invites you to listen.
Credit: Sunday Edition
What led you to start this space/company?
Working relentless hours was just so physically and mentally draining. Traveling across Europe, especially in the southern part, I noticed how people really enjoyed life. People love drinking a cup of coffee or taking their siesta. They really think about what they eat – everything was done with intention. And Sundays are regarded differently – it’s really a day of rest. I remember being in Germany and everything was closed on Sundays. In North America, everyone is just constantly on the go, so I began looking for a way to incorporate that sense of rest into a daily life ritual.
Why a candle company? I always dabbled in art and perfumery, so making candles was just a hobby and a passion of mine. I’ve regarded candle making as an art form, because depending on your mood and depending on the way the air flows through your space, a candle will burn differently and the scent will spread with that movement. Every candle I see tells a story. What I love most about candles is that across cultures, they’re used in religious and spiritual ceremonies, for calming, for meditation. There’s something so soothing about lighting a candle, especially in the evening, and I wanted everyone to have access to that.
Credit: Sunday Edition
I want Sunday Edition to inspire people to slow down and live a more meaningful or purposeful life. I want these products to give people a moment to just relax. A lot of people burn candles as a way to symbolize well being. When I was working non-stop, I had no room for creativity because I had no time to relax. And when my time slowed down, that’s when I thought about Sunday Edition.
I read that you're an artisanal aromatherapy brand. What does that mean to you?
What I mean by artisanal is that everything is handmade in small batches. Every time the candles are poured, there’s never more than 24 at once. I formulate everything myself with the help of perfumers and candle makers. I really honed in my craft of candle making before really getting started. That way of thinking comes from my time in Japan, because you really have to know your craft before doing it.
Tell me about the ‘Gaia Collection’.
The Gaia Collection is based on Mother Earth as a being and all the different elements found in nature. We have Dawn ($68), Dusk ($68), Ash ($68), Root ($68) and Nude ($68). Dawn is referring to the sunrise and Dusk meaning the sunset. Ash means the minerals of the earth, and then there's Root which means the ground itself and vegetation. Lastly, we have Nude meaning our body as one. It’s really our whole ecosystem and how together, we all make up Mother Earth as a being. Eventually I'll expand on it because I'm obviously missing elements like the ocean, the sky, etc. There’s so much beauty in the Earth that I want to touch upon, but right now, this is my starting point.
Credit: Sunday Edition
The way that each scent correlates to different elements, is when you think of Dawn, the sunrise, you think of freshness, citruses and awakening. Dusk, the sunset, is a moodier scent, which allows you to unwind after a long day. This one will remind you of the warm evening sun. Then Ash is more smoky, more earthy, more grounded. Root literally smells like you're walking through a garden, so fresh and so green. And then there’s Nude, which smells like your skin is being wrapped in like a cashmere blanket. I hope my candles will reach those that want to embrace nature.
How does the philosophy of scent as language relate to your design and creation process?
I see scent as a form of communication. A perfumer or a candle maker will tell you that they create their scents based on memories that resonate with them, maybe from their childhood or even just from walking in the park. What I want to create is scents that will evoke a memory for you. The scents mean something to me personally, but to someone else, they’re likely to mean something completely different. I hope that someone will light the Dusk candle on their coffee table on a warm evening with a glass of wine in hand. And I hope that someone will do that so often, that one day, the scent will remind them of a certain time in their life.
Credit: Sunday Edition
What differentiates you from other candle brands in the industry? What makes you unique?
I started Sunday Edition not only as a candle brand, but in hopes that it’ll one day become a lifestyle brand. I want to branch out to other vehicles or tools that allow people to slow down, whether it’s perfumery, interior design, home decor, ceramics and more. That way, I’m not following any trends and I think that’s what really differentiates us. I create what I want to create. My intention has always been to create some kind of art piece that will relate to your home. It's definitely important to stay knowledgeable in the industry, to know what others are doing, but I never want to compete. I want to do my own thing and I'm happy if other people are succeeding by doing their own thing. I’ve just been following my intuition, and I will continue to do that.