by MIKE CHAIKEN
CTFashionMag.com
Identical twin sisters Darcey and Stacey Silva are in the celebrity spotlight these days for their new hit reality TV series on TLC called, obviously enough, “Darcey & Silva.”
But, besides being television personalities, the sisters from Middletown, Conn. also have their own fashion line, “House of Eleven,” which predates their reality television ventures.
“Stacey and I co-founded House of Eleven (houseofeleven.com) in 2011 in honor of our beloved brother Michael who passed from a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma,” explained Darcey Silva in an email interview. “We wanted to build this company to inspire others through our story to control his legacy and strength in fashion and other markets such as beauty and home goods.”
“Hof11 is like 11:11 on the clock when you make a wish,” said Darcey Silva, “11 is because he was born May 11, 1971 and passed July 11 1998. When we see 11:11, we know he’s watching over us and our angel and it gives us the energy to never give up.”
Darcey Silva said she and her sister were drawn to the fashion world during their teen and college years.
“We loved fun trend setting looks and always got compliments and were asked about our fashion sense,” said Darcey Silva. “We love high-end designers like Chanel, Balmain and Balenciaga.”
“J.Lo (Jennifer Lopez) has always been our fashion icon,” said Darcey Silva. “She’s timeless trendy and always shines in her beauty inside and out. Her fashion sense is a true inspiration.”
“The brand is a true reference of who we are as women: moms and creative mindsets so it makes us feel better internally and wholeheartedly,” said Darcey Silva of House of Eleven. “We are just like everyone and feel we are here to inspire others to feel their own inner beauty, strength and (so they) feel passionate about what they choose to do in life.
“The House of Eleven woman is beautiful, loving empowering, strong and passionate,” said Darcey Silva. “They are motivational and inspirational to themselves and others. They rise above like a beautiful goddess inside and out. They manifest the life they dream of and honor and love themselves and others.”
“True beauty is timeless always and (House of Eleven women) feel this with confidence and grateful with an illuminating glow.”
Darcey Silva’s children Aniko and Aspen and Stacey’s children, Mate and Parker, have served as inspirations for the House of Eleven line.
“Aniko and Aspen are always smart, loving and inspiring as individuals and teens,” said Darcey Silva. “They are true creatives and are passionate about the styles they love to exude.
“We are proud of the girls and Stacey’s sons Mateo and Parker and they all have wisdom, heart and strength,” said Darcey Silva. “They each have a creative role and get to choose things that they feel would be inspiring to other teens and young adults today.”
Most of the fashion world has found itself negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Silvas, however, are hanging in there despite the economic downturn.
“We have stayed strong and safe during COVID,” explained Darcey Silva. “We have the opportunity to work globally and from our current Connecticut home base and work simultaneously with our Los Angeles infrastructure and connections we built over the years.”
“We hope to build expand globally with our new brands, Hof11 Beauty and Hof11 Home,” said Darcey Silva. “It’s our beautiful legacy through our story and it will always be our ‘Neverending Story!'”
House of Eleven is available at HouseofEleven.com. “Darcey & Stacey” is aired on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.