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Fashion / Style

From Paris Fashion Week to Dazzling Back Home In The Woodlands — The Local Designer of SuKaz Jackets Is Having a Moment

Every Jacket Is a Passport, Every Stitch a Destination Built on International Artisans

BY // 10.04.24

After a dazzling runway show during Paris Fashion Week, The Woodlands fiber artist Susan Hollingsworth is just getting started with her SuKaz Jackets. She won’t slow down until after the Texas Fine Craft Show in The Woodlands, put on by The Woodlands Arts Council, which is set for November 1 through November 3.  Hollingsworth’s Paris collection, “Genesis Redux,” featured 12 jackets that interpret the four seasons.

She describes the show as a return to her roots, revisiting her earliest designs with a fresh, modern twist.

Hollingsworth’s artistic roots run deep in international travel. She and her SuKaz jackets now call The Woodlands home after 28 moves around the world.

Her fiber arts journey began in Kazakhstan (the “Kaz” in “SuKaz”), where she first encountered vibrant bazaars.

“To me, the bazaars are like magic,” Hollingsworth tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “Everyone else would go to museums, but I wanted to see the cultural craft.”

Through these experiences, Hollingsworth developed a profound understanding of each country’s artistic traditions, which shaped her creative vision. Extensive travels accompanied her husband’s work, with stops in Russia, Azerbaijan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan. They lived in London for years before returning to the United States.

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Sukaz jackets
Susan Hollingsworth with her art panels, ready to be added to a Sukaz jacket. (Photo by Laura Landsbaum)

While in Kazakstan in the early 2000s, Hollingsworth had the initial idea for her jackets. “I found a seamstress and said, ‘I have this idea, but I can’t draw,’ ” she recalls. She would sit on the floor, trying to explain her vision. At first, the seamstress named Svetlana hesitated. “She said, ‘I can’t do that,’ ” Hollingsworth notes.

However, after some persuasion, Svetlana relented. “She loved creating unique jackets from my ideas,” Hollingsworth says. “I would show her a picture, she’d draw it, then she would make it.” This collaborative process marked the beginning of Hollingsworth’s artistic journey.

London Calling for SuKaz Jackets

Moving to London allowed Hollingsworth to enhance her skills. She enrolled in pattern-making courses at Central St. Martins College of Design, a prestigious institution known for its notable alumni.

“Galliano and Stella McCartney studied there,” Hollingsworth notes. Taking the plunge to learn handbag making was significant for her. Her tutor Rowena Luke-King eventually started teaching Hollingsworth pattern cutting privately.

Sukaz jackets
In this Sukaz jacket, the multi-dimensional art panel is tucked into the sleeve pleat. (Photo courtesy of Sukaz)

Her newfound skills became a cornerstone in designing SuKaz jackets, each of which is unique yet shares common elements. Every jacket features a distinctive work of art from a diverse group of international artists. These artists specialize in hand quilting, fabric origami, leather crafting, embroidery and beading. The art often peeks out from pleats or appears in cutout circles or on the back.

During her time in London, Luke-King introduced Hollingsworth to artist Suneetha/Bhaavana, who creates many of the art panels for the jackets

“She’s amazing,” Hollingsworth says. “Once you show her something, she takes off with it.”

Although Suneetha doesn’t know what Hollingsworth will do with the panels, their process is very collaborative. “I take the panel and figure out what kind of jacket I want to create,” Hollingsworth says.

The Paris runway collection marked a departure for SuKaz. Hollingsworth tailored every detail of each jacket, ensuring the artwork, fabrics and closures were selected together. Typically, she pairs the art panels in her workroom with silks and velvets she has collected.

“From start to finish, every element has been customized for this collection,” Hollingsworth says.

Even with this new level of customization, Hollingsworth’s collaborative spirit remains unchanged.

“I now have a Romanian artist, Corina Matei, here in Cypress,” Hollingsworth says. “She creates beautiful origami. You fold, turn, fold and stitch. It’s a very intensive process. One of those panels can take up to 50 hours.”

SuKaz jackets will be available at the inaugural Texas Fine Craft Show from November 1 through November 3 at The Westin at The Woodlands hotel. Purchase tickets online here. There will be no ticket sales at the door.

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