EDITOR’S PICKS Ugg Lacoste
Aetrex
D E S I G N E R C H AT
IT’S LONG BEEN a fashion conundrum: How do you buy killer heels without killing anything in the process? And despite a growing interest in sustainable fashion using animal-free products, cruelty-free couture is still something of a rarity. But Sylth Virago founders Danielle Goldman and Athanasia Svec, along with lead designer Kyle Blackmon, have set out to change that with their unique juxtaposition of bold aesthetics using cruelty-free materials. Take the brand’s “Antigone” pump, for example. Goldman cites the “strong and structural, dagger-shaped heel” paired with a soft, vegan velvet material. “The shoe projects an urban strength and beauty, showing strength can be found in compassion,” she explains, adding that the brand’s overall aesthetic draws on the root of its name: Sylth stemming from the words synthetic and sylph, meaning graceful woman, and Virago, implying a warrior woman. (Each style is named after a Greek Goddess.) “The juxtaposition of the brand name is reflected in the overall design of each shoe,” Goldman says, noting the shoes are designed in New York and made in Italy. Sustainable highlights include insoles made of an NPU green cellulose material that becomes 100 percent biodegradable within three to six months in a landfill. “We’ve hired a sustainable materials expert, Jen Keane, to help us achieve our sustainability goals while maintaining our high-end luxury aesthetic,” Goldman says. For Spring ’21 that translates to a theme of dark romance. Think rich greens, deep purples and shades of black paired with bold heels. “We fell in love with a super-soft, recyclable, vegan, organic cotton velvet out of Italy and PU leathers,” Goldman says. “Together with the colors, they make a beautiful statement.” Like the “Persephone” boot. “Kyle Blackmon and Brianna Fano of SwatchHub collaborated to create a stunning embellishment that adorns the top of the boot,” she says. “There’s no way you won’t be noticed.” —Greg Dutter Who is the Sylth Virago woman? She’s confident and strong, and chooses quality over quantity by understanding the mission of the brands she wears. She never sacrifices her strong style intuition and bold presence. What’s been the toughest challenge to launching the label? It’s starting a company, in general. It’s hard bootstrapping ourselves together to create a luxury brand without all the bells and whistles often available to larger brands. Just getting the right partners in place has been a long, arduous process, although I’m currently very happy with the team we have assembled! 38 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2020
Chaco Reef
P OOL C UE S
Men’s slides cross over from the pool to the gym to the home office.
How has the pandemic impacted your business? Our production in Italy was stopped for approximately six weeks and even after it reopened, it was slowed due to social distancing protocols and personnel changes. While this created a challenge, it gave us time to develop our social media strategy, our overall brand aesthetic and to network, especially since all brands, luxury or not, were in a similar situation and wanted to help each other out. This provided unique opportunities for us to get our brand in front of eyes that may not have been so willing to take a look had the pandemic not occurred. Not to mention, we created our shoes for high-profile affairs, which haven’t been happening. A lot of our original marketing plan had to be reworked. We now have several flats in the works that will hopefully appeal to a larger market, particularly one that may have to work from home for a little while longer. What are your distribution plans? We’d like to sell in physical and online spaces. Due to the impact of the pandemic, we’re also selling DTC. However, our Chief Revenue Officer, Athanasia Svec, is hard at work
developing partnerships with well-known department stores and high-end boutiques. Where do you envision Sylth Virago in five years? We want to expand to different price points (SRP for the current collection is $518 to $1,118), and accessories and apparel. If this pandemic continues, specifically pajamas and t-shirts with ties drawn on. Who are some designers you admire? Stella McCartney, the true pioneer of the ethical and sustainable fashion movement. Sylth Virago is also the vision of three women from unique backgrounds, but we all generally agree that our look is the sometimes-rocky marriage of Alexander McQueen and Celine. What is your favorite city? New York, the only city where you can visit all the most famous cities in the world—or at least a pretty good representations of them—for just the price of a subway fare. That’s a bargain! What do you love most about designing shoes? Finding that perfect balance between letting the shoe speak for its owner and the owner’s personality shining through.
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D A N I E L L E G O L D M A N : S Y LT H V I R A G O