Julia Haart’s journey from a conservative Haredi Jewish community to becoming a fashion mogul and a prominent figure in the talent media conglomerate, Elite World Group, has been marked by both success and controversy.
Born into a Jewish community, Haart developed a passion for fashion and design at a young age, teaching herself to sew when she was just 16 years old. She married her first husband, Yosef Hendler, at the age of 19 and remained in the marriage for 23 years, during which she cared for her four children while selling insurance on the side.
Her breaking point came at 42 when she decided to leave the Haredi community of Monsey, NY, finding herself increasingly uncomfortable with its conservative principles and practices. In 2013, Julia made the life-altering decision to leave behind her religious world.
After leaving the Haredi community, Haart founded her shoe company, Julia Haart, and later collaborated with La Perla for their accessory collections. In 2016, she was named the creative director for La Perla by Silvio Scaglia, the owner and president of the brand.
Under Haart’s creative direction, La Perla saw innovative fashion designs, including the first items in stretch Leavers lace. Her career took another turn when she became the CEO and chief creative officer of Elite World Group in March 2019, a position she held following Scaglia’s nomination.
Being in a romantic relationship, Julia and Scaglia married in June 2019. However, In February 2022, she filed for divorce and was subsequently fired from EWG due to embezzlement accusations by Scaglia. In the later period, Haart claimed that she endured emotional suffering during her relationship due to Silvio’s verbal abuse.
In her petition, the designer said:
“He has routinely berated me, calling me ‘a venomous snake,’ a ‘monster’ and a ‘liar,’ in the presence of third parties and, at times, my children. One of [his] favorite epithets is to tell me to ‘go f*ck yourself.'”
The divorce battle between Haart and Scaglia also involved a dispute over a 10,000-square-foot Tribeca penthouse, known as ‘the Haart Penthouse,’ which Scaglia had purchased for $56 million a year before their marriage. After being fired from EWG, she filed a lawsuit against Silvio, claiming that she was a 50-50 owner of EWG, which meant she couldn’t be terminated. Still, it was ruled that Scaglia was the controlling shareholder.
As a result of her career and business ventures, Julia has accumulated a net worth of $50 million. Her life and career are the subject of the Netflix documentary miniseries ‘My Unorthodox Life,’ which premiered in 2021. The show follows Haart’s decision to leave the Haredi Jewish community and explores the impact of her departure on her family and professional life.