Morning Music, Beauty Essentials And Family Rituals: 24 Hours With Sian Jones Vaz Te

The owner and designer of Sian Swimwear reflects on working in line with her kids’ school day, the importance of music in her life and her love of high heels

6:00am It’s not something I like to admit, but as soon as I open my eyes, I reach for my phone, I check the time, then my inbox for emails that have come in and then socials. I wish I could say I wake up, meditate and ignore my phone until lunchtime, I can’t – I do everything from my phone! In any case, I am a light sleeper these days as my toddler son wakes up at least once a night and I’m lucky if I get seven hours a night. My bedroom is my sanctuary. I try to always keep it clean and devoid of clutter. It’s also very warm most of the time, so I can hibernate.

Once I have looked at what meetings I have booked for the coming day, I jump in the shower as I listen to music like Ciara’s Go Girl or Beyoncé’s Grown Woman and Schooling Life. Music means a lot to me. I make new playlist almost every month with a lot of ’80s soul and ’90s R&B.

As for the products I use in the shower, BYREDO La Tulipe is my go-to shower gel and then, because my hair is very thick (so it is my biggest grooming thing), I swear by Shu Uemura hair products – the green line is the reset line – the hair mask and hair serum. If I am being totally honest, my mood will dictate my choices when it comes to what I wear. And everyone will know when I arrive what mood I’m in by the colour of my shoes – I often dress from the feet upwards. In general, I would say I dress fun but classy. I love a nice oversized blazer with some Nike dunks or Jordan 1s. I love trainers and a nice handbag combination, I think it reflects my character. I love heels too and take any opportunity to wear them. I used to wear heels every day for work (when I did PR for Dior and Giuseppe Zanotti), so now it’s a real event when I do. To be honest I have a shoe fetish! And it’s the first thing I notice on people.

In terms of brands that I love, I collect Chanel bags and shoes for my daughters to enjoy one day when they’re older. I admire Stella McCartney for her sustainable approach and I often get classics from her. I also really love everything Teddy Santis makes although it is mostly for men, I just feel incredibly comfortable in the garments. New brands also interest me and my latest find is the shirt brand WOERA.

After I am dressed for the day I turn my attention to making and packing the kids’ lunches (my daughters Zendaya and Zavannah are 6 and 4 and my son Ezekiel is just a year old), and having a family breakfast of yoghurt, berries, toast and eggs with my husband Ricardo and the kids.

Then we are out of the house at 7:30am and on the school run where we listen to my featured Sian Swimwear Spotify playlist and the kids have to guess genre and instruments used – it’s one of my favourite parts of the day.

By 9:30am I’m at work. I am very focused when I am at the office. I try to be super organised and structured with my diary as I have a shorter working day (in line with the kids’ school day) so I have to be incredibly disciplined to get everything done that I need to. That’s why I love quietness and tidiness at the office.

I don’t often have time to stop for lunch but will eat a bowl of soup or salad at my desk. Calls tend to happen in the morning or when I’m on the school run. My team would tell you that I’m very particular and meticulously detailed, but I also love to laugh so I would say my style of working is a balance of focused and laid back. I definitely believe that you should allow those around you to have the space and autonomy to make decisions. That comes from a foundation of trust and respect which I pride myself on giving to everyone who I work with.

I do love that I am in full creative control of the brand and get to experience first-hand things like seeing Kim Kardashian wear one of my swimsuits. That was such a wow moment. Also Serena Williams and Elle Macpherson were incredible moments for me as they are women I really admire for their strength and work ethic.

At 4:00pm I have to pick up my daughters from school, I try to focus on spending time with the kids in the afternoon.

Then I am making dinner and getting them ready for bed at 8:00pm. After they are down for the night, I usually have meetings with my team to catch up on the day and discuss the priorities for the next day around sales, distribution, targets, PR and marketing. I don’t really have any days off as I always have to be available and I’m really bad at switching off.

My favourite way to spend an evening is watching a movie with my family, or going out with them for food, to the park, or the beach. I have a hectic schedule so any time with my kids is so precious to me. But when I do go out I tend to go to cultural events or to friends’ events where I can show support, which is usually once or twice a month these days. When I’m in London for work I’m very social. I have so many friends and places to visit. I have a real social network there.

I try to be in bed no later than 11:00pm. I unwind by watching various documentaries on Netflix. The Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance was so incredible. I used to play basketball and as a kid I was a huge fan. I am also currently reading the book All About Love by Bell Hooks. Before turning out the light I make sure my phone and my diary and pencils are on my bedside table as often things come to me at night so I have put it in my notes on my iPhone or write it down. My days are always fun and different! I’m just super grateful for the life I have and everything in it.

Images supplied

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s May 2022 issue.