Julia Haart, the renowned American fashion designer, is grappling with anorexia and a history of eating disorders. Raised in a Haredi Jewish Traditional community in Monsey, New York, she faced uncertainty about her life’s direction. Despite professional success, designing lingerie for celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow, her early days were marked by external expectations about her appearance and behavior.
Born out of a toxic lifestyle with her ex-husband, her journey unfolds through the Netflix reality show “My Unorthodox Life,” where she first shared her story. The first season, premiered on July 14, depicted her struggles and shed light on the reasons behind her health issues.
In the subsequent season, her life takes a different turn as her marriage unravels amid million-dollar legal battles.
Julia Haart battled anorexia during her earlier marriage in “My Unorthodox Life.” Growing up in a restrictive, ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Monsey, where women’s voices were suppressed, she felt miserable and found an outlet in self-harm. With self-destruction and suicide considered taboo, she resorted to starving herself.
Acknowledging that her death from an eating disorder would not negatively impact her children, as her deteriorating conditions concealed the dark corners of her mind, she reached a point where she weighed only 73 pounds. Her daughter Miriam, displaying a rebellious spirit, ultimately saved her from taking the final step.
Leaving her husband at age 43, she founded a shoe company within months of her departure, later merging it with the major fashion brand La Perla. Becoming a symbol for women striving for their dreams, she proved that it’s never too late to pursue one’s passions even in their forties.
During her tumultuous marriage to Yosef Hendler, Julia Haart faced an eating disorder. Unhappy in the relationship that started when she was a teenager, she felt unfulfilled in the bedroom and emotionally. She described herself as merely a “babymaker” with no other purpose in his life. After sixteen years of marriage and having four children, she finally left at age 43.
In 2019, Julia Haart married Silvio Scaglia Haart, the founder of Fastweb, after 32 years of mistreatment. However, the romantic tale turned sour as she filed a restraining order, citing feeling unsafe in his presence. The initial passion of their relationship quickly dissipated when he began name-calling her and her son.
Accusations of financial misconduct and a tumultuous divorce ensued, leading to a $257 million lawsuit against Silvio Scaglia Haart for allegedly cheating her out of millions from their business.