As the visionary behind SuKaz Jackets –– an elegant line of designer jackets featuring artisanal handcrafted embroidery set against vibrant silks and richly-hued velvets ––Susan Hollingsworth channels design inspiration from decades living and traveling abroad in far flung parts of the world, amongst them Nigeria, Britain, Kazakhstan, Russia, India, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Scotland.
And while her career in fashion began almost serendipitously, her eye for design has found a clientele that crosses generations and geographical borders. Despite having led a rather peripatetic life, Hollingsworth has never considered herself particularly adventurous, or someone with a penchant for travel. Rather, she says she has taken life as it comes, being naturally open, curious, and willing to engage with the multitude of environments in which she found herself.
This organic approach to living eventually led to founding SuKaz (the name being an amalgamation of her first name Susan and Kazakhstan, where Hollingsworth lived for several years). In the 1990s, while living in Nigeria with her husband (his profession in the oil industry took them all over the world), she was enchanted by the exceptional array of textiles she came across when visiting the markets. Her first foray into design was having the talented local tailors sew strips of woven silk she had purchased into a loosely structured jacket, inspired by the heavily embroidered African robes she saw worn by locals.
SuKaz
It was upon moving to Kazakhstan that she launched SuKaz Jackets in the early 2000s, as a way to showcase traditional textile and handicraft art she saw in bazaars throughout her travels. (In the 1980s, Hollingsworth resided in the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Denmark and had brief stints back in the United States in between her time abroad.) To communicate with her Kazakh seamstress and embroiderer, neither of whom spoke English, she learned Russian primarily through immersion. (Her first words, she laughs, were for “scissors” and “interfacing,” which were of little help when shopping for essentials at the grocery store.)
SuKaz Jackets have a signature raglan sleeve, a snap enclosure at the neckline, and a handmade decorative button, with the less overtly fitted style able to encompass a broader range of body types. Her love of color, Hollingsworth shares, stemmed from her childhood growing up in Natchez, witnessing the creation of multi-hued tableaus and tourists who came to the tiny town from all over to partake in the architecture and spring pilgrimage events.
Amongst the jacket’s most alluring features is at the back, where a boxed pleat opens to reveal a striking artisan-crafted panel whenever the wearer moves. Panel designs have included Mardi Gras-inspired plumes and cascading masks; khambadiya patchwork (an ancient style of Indian embroidery), vintage designs from Jaipur, and Gadwal silk sarees; a hand embroidered, beaded rendition of an original drawing of a Japanese geisha; and specialized techniques like ribbonwork, origami floral motifs, and wool couching.
SuKaz
Hollingsworth works directly with artists, pattern cutters, and seamstresses from all over the world, including Romania, Greece, India, China, and the United States. One of her longest artistic collaborations came about through a chance introduction in London (after eight years in Kazakhstan) where she met an Indian British artist who hailed from a family of Hyderabadi weavers.
“All of these people I’ve connected with, some of whom I’ve never met –– it goes across cultures, religions, social differences –– we all work together to create something really beautiful, without even being in the same room,” says Hollingsworth. “It’s the collaboration of a wonderfully diverse group of people.”
While private trunk shows –– her next one will be on March 18 at Olivina Boutique in Natchez––and pop ups have been the primary means of showcasing and selling SuKaz jackets, over the last several years, SuKaz has garnered international recognition. In addition to being featured within the pages of British Vogue and Vanity Fair, SuKaz has shown multiple times at New York, Paris, and London Fashion Weeks. Currently, Hollingsworth is gearing up for London Fashion Week in September.
To learn more about SuKaz, visit @sukazjackets_ on Instagram and sukazjackets.com.
