Silvia Dusci

TYW: What inspired the creation of Le Sundial, and what was the original vision?

Silvia: Le Sundial was born from a desire to slow things down. I wanted to create objects that feel grounded in time rather than driven by it - pieces that carry a sense of permanence, ritual, and personal meaning. The original vision was to design jewellry as quiet companions: not trend-led, but intimate, tactile, and emotionally resonant. Something you return to, rather than replace.

TYW: What experiences in your career before Le Sundial most shaped how you approach design and business today?

Silvia: Before founding Le Sundial, I worked in communication, closely alongside different brands and creative teams. Being immersed in that world gave me a privileged, and sometimes very raw, view of how brands speak, position themselves, and construct desire. It taught me how powerful, and how fragile, narrative can be.

That experience shaped the way I approach both design and business today. I became very aware of the gap that can exist between image and substance, and it pushed me to build something where the product leads, not the other way around. It also gave me a strong sense of discipline: clarity in messaging, consistency in decisions, and an understanding that every choice, creative or commercial, communicates something.

TYW: Le Sundial has a strong point of view, how would you describe the brand’s aesthetic, and how has it evolved over time?

Silvia: Le Sundial’s aesthetic is quiet but deliberate. It’s about balance and tension: softness against structure, intuition grounded by precision. The pieces are never decorative for the sake of it, form follows feeling, but always with control.

Over time, the language has become more distilled. I’ve learned to trust proportion, material, and weight rather than adding complexity. There’s a strong focus on texture, tactility, and how a piece sits on the body - how it moves, how it ages, how it becomes part of someone’s daily gestures. The evolution has been subtle but intentional: fewer elements, more depth.

TYW: How would you describe your relationship with shopping.. instinctive or considered, online or in person?

Silvia: Very intentional. I rarely shop impulsively. I like to spend time with things, noticing them, returning to them, imagining how they’ll live with me. Whenever possible, I prefer shopping in person: touching fabrics, feeling weight, seeing how something reacts to the body.

What I love most is wearing pieces for a long time. Clothes and objects change as you wear them - they soften, they adapt, they absorb memory. That’s when they really come alive. Shopping, for me, is less about acquisition and more about commitment.

TYW: How do you approach building your own wardrobe, and what makes a piece feel lasting?

Silvia: I build my wardrobe slowly, almost instinctively, but with a lot of reflection. I’m drawn to pieces that feel stable, emotionally as much as aesthetically. A lasting piece doesn’t shout; it stays relevant because it can move through different moments of your life without feeling out of place.

Longevity is about how something supports you, not how it defines you. If a piece continues to feel right as you change, if it gains character rather than losing appeal, then it earns its place. I value that sense of continuity deeply, it’s something I carry into Le Sundial as well.

TYW: Does vintage play a role in your design process, either as inspiration or reference?

Silvia: Yes, very much so, though more as an attitude than a literal reference. I’m drawn to objects that already carry time within them, that feel lived-in rather than perfected. Vintage teaches restraint, proportion, and the beauty of imperfection.

I also love working with unique pieces - ancient stones, old materials, elements that have already had a life and can be reinterpreted in a contemporary way. There’s something powerful about giving a new context to something that already holds memory. I’m particularly drawn to engraving, both Eastern and Western traditions, from Art Deco to more ornamental, oriental influences. They speak different languages, but share a sense of intention and permanence.

Travel plays a huge role in this process. Moving through places, markets, museums, details, I tend to lose my mind when I travel, in the best possible way. It’s where my eye gets reactivated, where intuition takes over.

TYW: What was the inspiration behind your latest collection?

Silvia: One of the collections closest to my heart is Venice Opera. It’s inspired by a decadent, fading Venice, not the postcard version, but something more intimate and theatrical. I was drawn to its sense of quiet drama: worn palazzi, heavy curtains, deep shadows, and a softness that comes with time. Tassels became a recurring element, almost like punctuation marks, and the palette leans into deep, saturated tones - rich, nocturnal, emotional.

This was followed by the Art Deco collection, which shifts the mood while keeping the same sense of intention. It’s more graphic and architectural: linear motifs, desaturated colours, stones paired with velvet textures. Still restrained, but sharper - a dialogue between structure and sensuality.

TYW: Is there one piece from the collection that best represents Le Sundial right now?

Silvia: There isn’t just one, but a small group of pieces that feel very representative of where Le Sundial is today. The Deco Ring is one of my personal favourites - strong yet refined, with a presence that comes from proportion rather than excess.

The Ivory Eclipse Pendant also feels essential. It’s warm, textured, and sits somewhere between bohemian softness and Deco structure - it’s one of those pieces that feel grounded yet expressive, revealing themselves over time.

And then there’s the Tina Necklace in onyx, which I deeply love. The cube cut gives the stone an unexpected luminosity, it feels dense and full, yet incredibly light-catching at the same time.

Finally, the Lee Evening Bag holds a special place. It’s the first textile accessory for the brand, and it was a very emotional step. It represents an opening - a new language, but one that still feels true to the core of Le Sundial.

TYW: How do you balance creativity with the practical side of running a brand?

Silvia: I’m still learning. Le Sundial is an evolving brand, but it’s also a very personal project. I feel part of it in every sense. Creativity doesn’t switch off when I’m dealing with logistics or numbers; it’s always present.

I wake up almost every morning with a new idea, which can be both exciting and challenging. The balance comes from learning when to listen to that impulse and when to protect the structure. Systems help, but intuition remains a big driver. The challenge is not to silence creativity, but to give it the right container.

TYW: What advice would you give to someone launching a fashion brand today?

Silvia: Take your time, and be precise. Before thinking about visibility or growth, understand what you truly want to say, and what you’re willing to commit to long term. Build slowly, with intention, and don’t confuse noise with relevance.

A clear, honest point of view, even a quiet one, will always feel more powerful than chasing momentum. Consistency, patience, and self-trust are not glamorous, but they’re what last.

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