Photo by FANNI HERMÁN
I designed my wedding dress. It became a brand.
I’m Shiyao Tang, founder of Soir Sì, a sculptural silk womenswear brand.
I used to build products in tech, but I left to take a risk, to design something for the moments that mattered most. When I couldn’t find a wedding dress that felt right, one that was dramatic yet simple, elevated but effortless, poetic and comfortable all at once, I decided to build it myself. That dress became the quiet beginning of Soir Sì.
It began as a search for what didn’t exist.
Everything felt divided. Fast fashion had no soul. Luxury felt distant from everyday life. I wanted something intentional, beautiful yet simple, dramatic yet effortless.
So for my wedding I designed my own dress, sculptural and grounded, alive in motion. What began as an experiment became a proof of concept that clothing could hold both strength and softness, presence and ease. That idea became Soir Sì.
Silk isn’t just luxury, it’s story.
A material once reserved for emperors, traded along the Silk Road, layered into ancient armor, silk has always embodied duality: delicate and unbreakable. At Soir Sì, we design within that tension. Soft in movement, strong in presence. Each piece exists between opposites: sculptural yet fluid, minimal yet expressive, sensual yet disciplined. The most powerful forms are the quiet ones that whisper instead of shout.
Every design begins with fabric.
Every design begins with fabric. We source pure silk from heritage mills that preserve traditional weaving and finishing techniques. Each meter is evaluated for natural sheen, hand feel, and longevity. We drape silk like clay, refine cuts for movement, and fit with the precision of tailoring.
Pieces are prototyped slowly until form, function, and comfort align. We design not for seasons, but for continuity — pieces meant to endure and evolve with you.
In an age of speed, we build slowness.
Soir Sì exists for those who seek what doesn’t yet exist — who find beauty in restraint, strength in softness, and meaning in the everyday. True luxury is not excess. It is intention. Every piece we create is a study in balance — caressing armour for the rhythm of modern life.
Designed to move with you. Made to last.
The Making of Soir Sì
THE SPARK
THE DRESS
THE REFINEMENT
THE BEGINNING
BECOMING
THE SPARK
The search for my wedding dress revealed something unexpected.
I couldn’t find a piece that was both sculptural and simple, dramatic yet comfortable, beautiful enough to remember but effortless enough to live in.
So I started building what I couldn’t find.
A dress that balanced form and feeling, strength and softness. Silk shaped to move with the body rather than against it.
That quiet experiment became the beginning of Soir Sì.
THE DRESS
Ideas became form.
Moodboards turned into sketches. Fabric tests covered the studio table. We draped silk like clay, shaping movement directly on the body.
Every adjustment was guided by one question:
Could a garment feel both striking and effortless to live in?
Slowly, the dress began to take shape.
THE REFINEMENT
The first sample arrived. Beautiful, but imperfect.
We refined obsessively: softening lines, sharpening seams, pivoting when original ideas proved impossible while maintaining both beauty and function.
Simplicity demanded discipline. The dialogue between vision and material became Soir Sì.’s design language.
THE BEGINNING
I wore the dress at a château in France — a convergence of cultures, textures, and light.
The silk caught every reflection as voices intertwined in different languages. People didn’t ask where it was from, but what it was.
In that moment, I felt something I couldn’t yet name. It was a quiet beginning.
The night marked the start of Soir Sì. Silk became a universal language, where Chinese heritage, reimagined through contemporary form, spoke without explanation.
BECOMING
We began developing our first small run with the same philosophy:
Sculptural silk for everyday rituals. Quiet design, intentional making, modern heritage.