Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a Jewish family,[REF][REF] but his family fled in the 1950s,[REF] first to France and finally to New York, United States.
Prior to joining the New York Dolls, Sylvain and future New York Doll bandmate Billy Murcia ran a clothing company called "Truth and Soul," which helped define his fashion sense and would play a role in the band's groundbreaking look [REF].