GL Spotlight: Sivan Himy
Written By Jessica Caplan
January 14, 2021
After 17 years of experience, Himi is one of the leading stylists in Israel with a respectable list of celebrity clients, amongst them one Wonder Woman you might know: Gal Gadot. Besides styling Israel's most glamorous stars, Sivan also works with the top brands in the country including ourselves, and if you ask her, she still has many dreams to achieve. We sat down with Sivan to talk about fashion, her journey, and her favorite GL moments. As told by Sivan:
Tell us about your journey in the fashion industry; how did it start and how did you get to where you are today?
I was 22 when I moved to Tel-Aviv (The fashion capital of Israel), I was young and full of ambition with a clear goal in mind- I wanted to be a stylist. I’m 39 today, but when I first started to work in fashion it was a much smaller industry than it is today. People barely knew what being a stylist meant, there were about 3 people who were considered fashion stylists and were known here. There was no place you could receive professional training and just in general, there was no acknowledgement of this field. I knew from a very young age this is what I want to do, and I was willing to do everything to make this happen. I started as an assistant for 2 of the most successful stylists in Israel at that time, I worked with them for 2 years. It was very intense, I worked very hard but I wanted to learn everything I could and I was very attentive and present, trying to observe and understand every step of the process and it was the best school I could attend. After 2 years I decided It’s time for me to go into my own independent way.
What do you love to do as a hobby?
I consider my work as my hobby. Although it is my job it is also something I love doing and I’m truly passionate about. It consumes the majority of my time. But in the little free time that I do have, I think it’s the beach. I live near the beach, so whenever I have time this is where I want to be. Whether it’s jogging or surfing everything that is related to the ocean brings me happiness. It’s truly one of the main things that bring me relaxation and peace and helps me recharge my energies both mind and body. So I’d say this is definitely my main hobby.
What/who is your biggest inspiration?
Whereas references from international stars, artists, and stylists might sound like the proper answer here, I feel like this does not represent me internally. I think my biggest inspiration is styling every person I get to work with according to their personalities, learning and getting to know each soul, and matching the outer look to their inner beauty, and not the other way around. This is the biggest inspiration source I have. This is a holistic experience for me and when it happens it just feels right. In every single work or project that I do, this is what guides me. I style to dress from the inside to the outside. It’s a process I go through with every client. I want them to feel whole, so it’s not even a matter of styling, but more of an internal thing. And when there’s a perfect connection between the inner and outer it will always look stylish.
What is your favourite part about being a stylist?
My favorite part about my job is the process that leads to the photoshoot day. Before every project, there’s a long thinking process. Many days of hard work, where you need to develop a concept, research, sketch, and collect looks and pieces from designers. But probably the highlight of it all, the pick of my work is when it all comes together- all the pieces of the puzzle become a whole. When you’re on set and you plan the hair and make-up with the beauty team and you plan the frames with the photographer, and then there’s this one moment when everything just clicks and all of the hard work that preceded the day pays off, that’s when the magic happens. It’s something that every person in the room can feel, sort of exaltation. It’s a very powerful moment. From my eyes, being the one who led the entire process, witnessing it from the side, it’s just beautiful.
How did you start working with the GL team?
The first project I did for Galia Lahav was the “TLV Fashion Week”. I styled the runway but I was also involved and creating the overall feel of the show. From choosing the music to helping develop the looks in the atelier and make sure it becomes a cohesive collection along with the designers. So it was a combination of classic styling in a sense of putting the look together from the jewellery to the shoes, but also a broader work of accompanying the designers in the studio and helping them develop the collection.
What are your professional goals that you have not yet achieved?
I am now in the professional place I always envisioned myself in, and I am thankful for working with all the talented people I have around me and whom I always wished to work with and it keeps getting more and more accurate and right for me. So I’m truly happy with where I am today. And from this exact place of satisfaction and content, I wish to expand my operation, wish to teach others, and maybe even create my own collection and collaborate with other designers and brands to create something that has my fingerprint on it. Dressing stars such as Emmy Nominee, Shira Hass, for the recent Emmy Awards and Eurovision host Lucie Ayob made me dream of doing more big red carpets events. The Oscars for example is something I haven’t done yet and I think it can be an exciting point in my career.