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Ever since she was nine years old, British stylist Tallulah Harlech has struggled with guttate psoriasis: an all-over body condition so inflammatory she spent over a decade on immune suppressant medication and was forced into a strict wardrobe of oversized cotton and aesthetically challenged undergarments. Given her sartorial prowess (she is also incidentally the scion of fashion legend Amanda Harlech), it was a whole other struggle onto itself. How could she reconcile her deep love for clothes with her skin’s intolerance to almost all materials? In 2020, she found a way to do exactly that.
Enter: Sylva. Designed to work in harmony with your skin barrier, the versatile three-piece collection is crafted from certified natural performance materials like eucalyptus and seaweed. By eschewing irritants such as polyester (therefore minimizing the potential for harmful transdermal adoption from fabric to skin), she has created something kind to our biggest organ.
“The beauty industry is endlessly reporting on the health of the skin barrier,” says Harlech. “I believe our body is the new face in many ways. The uptick in skin sensitivity is enormous. The beauty industry already knows this, and I realized I could provide this service in fashion. Sylva’s fabric has been lab-tested to prove it is anti-irritant. The properties of the fabric have been individually studied to understand in what ways they are more advantageous to the skin microbiome and flora.”
Steeped in Harlech’s trademark dark aesthetic, these jet black (a nod to Anish Kapoor’s Vantablack and the protective powers of obsidian) second-skin garments cinch the body in every way you could want, which means they can exist as luxury fashion staples on their own, which was key for Harlech: “I wanted to make sure that the fit and shape of the pieces were flattering so that they were something that could be worn alone.”
And not just alone but on any occasion. The leggings and the high-necked top, with elongated sleeves and chic stitch detailing, are ideal for lounging around in the day, but could easily be dressed up with a pair of Manolos and a Chanel jacket, as Harlech suggests, while the dress, also high necked and long of sleeve, is the perfect addition to any night out. Think of Sylva as a Skims for goths with sensitive skin. Instead of shapewear, it s shadow wear.
“So many brands with an ethical point of view are void of sensuality or attitude. Eco-fashion tends to be worthy, earnest, and ‘Head Girl’ coded. I was never that, I was always slightly mysterious and rebellious.” Indeed, Sylva is sexy, sultry, and strong, designed to enhance the woman who wears it both in body and mind. As Harlech puts it: “It’s about leaning into the shadow-side, in attitude, where we have our greatest strengths.”