Let’s take about love, the romance that sweeps you away, the cozy snuggle love, the love captured in the wonders of the world, and the one where it all begins; self-love. We had a chat with Emma Sykes the lady behind Love Letters x, a loungewear brand, made of 100% pure love.
It was a trip to the ‘Pink City,’ Jaipur, that gave Emma the impulse to launch her brand. There she discovered the tale of an ancient love letter written by Goddess Rukmini to express her love and admiration to Krishna, inking their story for eternity. Emma captured the pink hues of the palaces, the endless arches into scalloped ultra-feminine hems, the romantic paisley ‘originated in India in the 11th century’ into prints, and turned them into her first sleepwear collection, Love Letters x Jaipur. She traveled across India to find the right partner to manufacture her line of pyjamas. She knew exactly what she wanted, 100% organic cotton, ethically made, and took the time needed to make sure her brand was created as she had envisioned, ‘I would rather go slower and do it right.’ In fact, Emma had been thinking about her project for many years. Back when her now teenage son was born, Emma was already planning on getting into the market for women intimacy, at a time when the topic was still very much unaddressed. What was important for her was for women to take care of their own health, to create a community to talk about self care. At the time, she was working with Burt’s Bees a pioneer green company, known for their lip balms, where the impact on the planet was as important as profits, and that vision remained with the entepreneur. With external eyes constantly on us through society and social media, the topic of self love is now more important than ever. For Emma, the ultimate act of self love is ending the day with a nice bath, then taking the time to snuggle up in bed with a movie or a book, in sweet, comfy pyjamas. Her teenage boy Sam gave her the idea for a line of leisurewear, comfy sweats and pants in hues of pink and white, embroidered with girly details, that she decided to produce in the UAE. From there, a partnership was born ‘with a fantastic woman,’ whom she now works hand in hand with, to realize her vision, deciding to remain local, minimize carbon footprint and build lasting partnerhsips.
Emma shows us the sketches for her upcoming collection. She has always been fond of drawing. This past summer, in August, the entrepreneur went to Taormina, in Sicily to celebrate her best friend’s birthday. The pastel colored gelatos; mint pistacchio green or lemony yellow, the peach facades, and the stoney pure whites inspired her collection which we await this march. With patterns reminiscent of sixties italian movies and hearts drawn from the balconies’ intricate ironwork, she is conceiving the pieces with mix and match options that can also be worn separately at the beach, for brunch, or under the sheets, a choice between shorts, pants, long or short sleeved shirts, dresses that will be available for all sizes. She has also started to picture a line for children, for some sweet mom, daughter matching. In this tale of love, what Emma appreciates most is meeting her customers, ‘it is beautiful to learn who they are, their passion for life,’ from the Palestinian girl living in Abu Dhabi who started stand up comedy inspired by her funny mother, to the eighty year old lady who wears her Jaipur Baby Doll top to go shopping, or the bride who chose her set for her wedding’s ‘getting ready’ photoshoot. Emma imagines one day having a boutique which would be a destination experience with a corner coffee shop, a space where people can grab a book and linger around. The romance infused loungewear is now available on the website of Love Letters x, delivered wrapped in recyclable paper, with a handwritten letter, and will soon be on Sheyaaka. Emma launched her brand in February 2024 during Valentine, a few months after moving to Dubai. She tells us she had originally planned a launch in October 2023 on her wedding anniversary, but with the acute sufferings the region witnessed, she felt the delay turned out for the best. Going through the journey that led her to create Love Letters x, she shares her key bit of wisdom, ‘things come in time,’ making us truly realize that labors of love bear their fruits.
@love_letters_x_
www.lovelettersx.com
Photo credits (2): Dawn Marie Jones
Photo credits (3): Martina Sill
