A small house, made by hand, in plain sight.
Sylvane is an eight-person fashion atelier on a quiet courtyard in the 4ème arrondissement of Paris. We make a small number of finely-considered pieces every season — silk, velvet, lace, pearls, cashmere — and ship them to forty-three countries.
We believe small, slow, and unfussy is a more honest way to make clothes. We have not had a sale in eight years. We probably will not start.
Four things we believe.
The rest changes; these don't.Material first
We begin with the cloth. Silk from Lyon, lace from Calais, panne velvet from Como, cashmere from a single grade-A herd in Inner Mongolia. The garment follows.
Made by people
Every piece is cut and sewn in Europe, in workshops where we know the foreman by name. No third parties. No subcontracting. No "made in" footnote.
Small numbers, slowly
We make in editions of fifty to two hundred. When a piece sells through, we sometimes remake it; often we let it rest. Scarcity, not artificial scarcity.
Honest pricing
A 4× markup on materials, never higher. We publish the breakdown for any customer who asks — and many do.
"I came up making clothes for friends, in a kitchen, on a Singer my mother gave me. The rule we keep is the rule we started with: it has to be a piece you'd want to live in for ten years."
A short history.
A studio above a bakery
Margaux opens a small fitting room in the 11ème, with two sewing machines and one Singer.
First silk commission
Henri sends a half-bolt of pink dupion. The Lia dress is cut from it.
Atelier Paris
We move to a quiet courtyard in the 4ème. The team grows to seven.
A second city
A by-appointment fitting room opens in Seoul, in a 1930s machiya by Bukchon.
Online, finally
After eight years, we open a shop on the internet — slowly, and on our own terms.
By appointment, in two cities.
Our atelier in the 4ème, and a small fitting room in Seoul. Bring an idea, a fabric, or a dress you've been altering for years.
75004 — by appointment
Jongno-gu — Wed–Sat
