What does it really mean to have a sister? Is it having someone who just gets you without explanation? A built-in best friend or something more complicated? Does it feel like a continuation of yourself, or someone entirely different? How does sisterhood evolve over time? And what makes it so irreplaceable?

We wanted to understand it all.

So we spoke with Lava and Karina Ilieva, and Junaynah and Zeyaanah El Guthmy, asking them these questions and looking beyond the surface — diving into what lies behind the scenes of sisterhood.

— What was your sisterhood like in childhood, and how would you describe it now?

Lava: Back then, I would go pick her up from kindergarten, and her teacher would be furious — she had cut a fringe for herself and a few other kids. They would expect me to be mad, like I was her parent, but I would just laugh, happy that she had had fun.

I am seven years older, and I took care of her for long stretches while our mom was working abroad. Honestly, if I had a little sister now, I would probably encourage her to shave her eyebrows too.

Now she is my best friend — and really my only super close female friend. I have always struggled with female friendships, but she embodies everything I love about feminine energy: empathy, grace, humility… without the envy, drama, attention-seeking, or pettiness people sometimes fall into.

Right now, our relationship feels like pure bliss. The age gap is big enough that we are not competing for the same things, but small enough that we still share experiences, tell each other everything, and truly understand one another. In a way, she feels like a continuation of me — but also her own person.

We weren’t raised in a conventional way, so it would have been almost impossible to find a friend who understands me the way she does.

And we have got a lot of Scorpio energy in our charts… so the “where should we bury him?” kind of loyalty is a solid 10/10.

Karina: First I want to say that one of the best things in my life is having a sister — I am truly grateful for her. Even though we have a seven-year age gap, our bond has always been special.

As kids, we didn’t play typical games like Barbies or sports. Instead, we created our own world. We loved opening wardrobes at our grandmother’s house, pulling out clothes and experimenting. Lava would style me, do my makeup and hair — I would be the model, and we would turn any corner of the house into our little photoshoot set.

Today, both of us work in fashion and are part of the creative scene in Dubai. What is fascinating is that, in many ways, nothing has really changed: we are still doing the same thing, just on a professional level.

A moment that really made us realise this was about two years ago. We were at our old family house in Bulgaria when we found our mother’s wedding dress. I put it on, and my sister immediately stepped into the role of creative director. We shot beautiful photos in the old basement, and it felt both magical and familiar—and so much fun, haha — like reliving our childhood.

— Have you ever had a moment where you thought, "Wow, I’m so lucky to have a sister"? What happened?

Lava: Whenever my mom asks:

“When will I be a grandma?” — …so good I have a sibling!

“Who’s going to clean this mess?” — …so good I have a sibling!

“When are you going to stop listening to rap?” — …so good I have a sibling!

“When are you going to dress like a proper woman?” — …so good I have a sibling!

Our core values are the same, but she is the more digestible archetype — which gives me a kind of green light to express myself, even when that can be a hard pill for my family to swallow.

This connection makes me want nothing less than two kids of my own.

She is indeed my favourite person on Earth.

Karina: It is hard to point to one exact moment when I have thought, “I’m so lucky to have a sister,” because I feel it all the time.

There is something incredibly special about sharing your life with someone who understands you so deeply — your emotions, your struggles, your happiness — without needing many words. (There is scientific research saying the likelihood of sisters experiencing the same pain and perceiving things in a similar way is very high. I truly believe that! So it sounds like a blessing, right?)

Working in the same field has also made me appreciate it even more. There have been many times when I have arrived on set, and people already knew my sister.

I am naturally a bit shy, so it usually takes me time to open up, but in those moments, I feel instantly more welcomed and well accepted.

People trust her, respect her, and know how professional and kind she is — and somehow that trust extends to me.

In those moments, I always think about how amazing it is that someone so talented and loved is not only someone I admire but also someone who shares the same blood.

— What was your sisterhood like in childhood, and how would you describe it now?

Junaynah: We weren’t very close as kids. A five-year age gap at that age feels like an entire lifetime, and I naturally fell into a kind of “mini mom” role. I was there for all her firsts: first day of school, first activity, first time going to a friend’s house. I would go with her to recitals and step in if anyone gave her a hard time. There was always a sense of responsibility and unconditional support, but not necessarily closeness or ease.

That really shifted post-COVID, when we were both in our 20s. Being forced to slow down and spend time together made us realise how fundamentally similar we are in the ways that matter most, especially creatively. Our perspectives, the way we think, what we are drawn to, are almost instinctive. And because creativity is such a core part of how we exist, realising we had that in each other made everything feel less isolating.

Now, we are practically inseparable. It is rare for me to feel like I need someone’s presence, but a day without Zee genuinely feels incomplete.

Zeyaanah: Sisterhood when we were kids felt like an Adventure Time episode — moving from place to place with a sense of innocence and a slight curiosity about how much adventure we could get away with before people around us realised. We would get in trouble for little things together and cover for each other.

Now it is almost an adult version of that, but instead of causing trouble, it is about having that curiosity between us all the time — who we are as women, who we want to become, and how we can be there for each other to make that happen.

— Have you ever had a moment where you thought, "Wow, I’m so lucky to have a sister"? What happened?

Junaynah: I think it shows up most in the moments where my work feels misunderstood or mirrored in a way that doesn’t sit right with me. To most people, work is just work, but for me, it is deeply personal. I am very emotionally attached to everything I create because it reflects where I am at a specific point in time.

In those moments, it can feel frustrating or even a bit hurtful in a way that is hard to explain to others. But Zee just gets it. There is no need to over-explain or justify why something affects me the way it does.

I always think that if everything I have ever documented about my life disappeared, my creative work would still tell that story. It holds pieces of me. So having someone who understands that without question, someone who sees the weight behind it, is something I don’t take for granted. It makes me feel incredibly lucky.

Zeyaanah: All my wins and all my losses. She knows how much work and intention I put into everything I do, and telling her makes me feel like I am sharing it with someone who knows how much it took from me to get here.