I have been to hell and back. And let me tell you, it was wonderful.

Louis Bourgeois is the muse behind Sylvester Spring Summer ’26. We are enamoured by her, both the women, and her art. 

Imagine two fluffy figures embracing, crafted from a shaggy pink fabric. This is Louise’s sculpture titled ‘Couple.’ It is the inspiration behind our Shaggy knitwear story, alongside an iconic portrait of Louise cocooned in her own shaggy jumper.

Our Spiral story celebrates our mutual love of stripes. No Sylvester collection is complete without them. This time we’ve constructed them in chevroning panels, recreating Louise’s spider web textile works. These spiralling, circling panels also reappear in our Shell jacket, a nod to our own heritage - our iconic Sister hoodie from the 90’s.

We pictured Louise in her parent's tapestry studio wearing our Liquorice denim, surrounded by looms and thread. The Gossamer bralette was designed for Louise as she crafted sculptures in the spring sun.

Louise is quintessentially French so we have adopted her beret, pinafores and petite check shirting. Our beautiful tailored corsage suiting captures this French sensibility perfectly. A pinwheel corsage over the heart is our contemporary interpretation of Louise’s vintage flower appliqués. 

Maman is Louise’s iconic 30ft tall spider sculpture. When asked why the spider, Louise replied “Because my best friend was my mother and she was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat, and as useful as a spider.” Subtle beaded spiders adorn our Maman cardigan and polo, honouring Louise’s mother and our own.

Louise Bourgeois is a treasure trove of contradictions. Feminine and masculine, soft but sharp, nostalgic and subversive. Just like Sylvester.