A total whirlwind! Julia Haart and Silvio Scaglia Haart’s relationship was anything but conventional before their split — from butting heads as coworkers to highlighting their blended family on Netflix’s My Unorthodox Life.
It wasn’t love at first sight for the pair, who initially met in 2015 when Julia’s shoe brand collaborated with La Perla, which Silvio bought earlier that year.
“The first year [of working together] was very combative,” Julia told Women’s Health in July 2021. The fashion designer recalled Silvio’s right-hand man calling her and saying, “Please be nice to Silvio. He’s a good man.”
The Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie author — who left the strict sect of Orthodox Judaism called the Haredi community in 2013 after more than 40 years — explained that she chose to get to know Silvio before really letting him in on her past.
“He didn’t know anything about me. I wouldn’t talk about my past [in the Orthodox Jewish community],” she told the outlet, noting that she didn’t start to share more until 2018. “I didn’t want to be known for what was done to me. I didn’t want my past to define me. I wanted to prove that I could achieve something on my own.”
Julia would go on to marry the Freedom Holding founder in June 2020 after previously having an arranged marriage in her teens.
“Before, marriage was a prison,” she said during a July 2021 interview. “Now I realize that you can be married, you can love someone, and you can still have your own freedom and individuality, and I think that’s beautiful. I love love.”
At the time, the fashion guru gushed over her husband, revealing what made their relationship work. “We are very independent, strong-willed people, and he loves my independence,” she added.
One month later, Silvio celebrated his wife’s many achievements after the premiere of My Unorthodox Life.
“Nearly five years ago, @juliahaart told me that she planned to write a book, and base a TV show on it, to share her story and inspire other women. She did it big time! She wrote 1700 pages that had to be trimmed down to less than half for the publishing version,” he wrote in an August 2021 Instagram tribute. “She has become a global icon for women empowerment with her first Netflix show. All while leading @eliteworldgroup into a new exciting era. So much to be impressed by my love @juliahaart!”
The pair’s romance, however, didn’t make it for the long haul, with Us Weekly confirming in February 2022 that they’d called it quits.
Scroll down to relive Julia and Silvio’s relationship ups and downs: